


You and me... always

by LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Bulshar exists in the background, Car Accident, F/F, Follows season 2 finale but without my input about Bulshar, Wayhaught - Freeform, hurt character, work accident
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-03-27 06:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13874898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan
Summary: Nicole suffers a mysterious accident on her way to attend a call in one of the farms in Purgatory. During her stay in the hospital, the team gets close to Shae, who works there and it's trying to help in the officer's recovery. But they are also trying to solve the causes of the accident. Are revenants involved? Is this part of a plan of Bulshar and Bobo? Or is it something darker, that they are not ready to face?





	1. Smile, wave and help her breath

**Author's Note:**

> After dedicating my free time to read many Harry Potter and Wynonna Earp stories, I decided to give another shot to writing. I did it for the HP universe a long time ago but today I felt like doing it again, this time focusing on my favorite couple. Is a short story, just to shake myself a bit, and I’m open to your comments or suggestions about how to continue with its development. I had an idea about it, but your feedback is welcome.

The call had been unexpected. 

Waverly had been spending some quality time with Wynonna at the Homestead, after weeks of being dedicated to locate a group of revenants responsible for a series of attacks to bars in the area. They were not the smartest group and the attacks had not caused casualties, but Dolls considered they were noisy enough to be stopped quickly. The problem was that they had the ability to become invisible and that’s why the BBD team had some trouble tracking them down and making them face Peacemaker. Anyway, as soon as she finished the call, Waverly took her car keys and moved to the door, without giving Wynonna an explanation.

”What the hell, Waves? Where are you going? I was in the middle of my story...”

”Not now Nonna. Something happened to Nicole and Nedley needs me in Hell Road”

”Ok, then I’m going with you”

Waverly just nodded and they entered the Jeep. Waverly was focused solely on the road and the tension was enough for Wynonna to understand she needed to be on her best behavior. Hell Road, as many of Purgatory roads, was not only famous for its name but for the high amount of coyote/revenants activity. But if what she heard in the morning while Waverly and Nicole enjoyed their breakfast was correct, there was no reason for the redhead to be there. She was supposed to work with Nedley in a security plan for the visit of a Congress man that had decided to attend to the towns with more security difficulties as part of his campaign to reelection.

When they arrived to the road the chaos was obvious. Three patrol cars were close to a point were towns people were gathering, some curious, some terrified, by something beyond their location. Six officers were trying to keep the people from interfering and an ambulance and firetruck were in the middle of the commotion. Waverly was out of the Jeep before Wynonna could stopped her and she moved graciously to the front of the small crowd looking for Nedley. The Sheriff was nowhere in sight and that only helped to increase her bad feelings about the whole situation.

“What happened? Where’s the Sheriff? He called me and...”

“Waverly! Over here! Let her through Johnson” said Nedley, who appeared from behind the ambulance and gave directions to a short blond officer. Wynonna moved closed to Waverly and both of them gasped when they saw what the ambulance was covering.

A few feet beyond the ambulance and crashed against a tall tree, was Nicole’s patrol car. The front was completely destroyed and a branch of the tree had fall over the roof of the car, making it twist in an awful way. Currently, two paramedics were working on the person inside (Waverly’s heart asked her to not make a painful connection) and three firefighters were trying to cut the metal of the car to help in the rescue. Nedley approached them before Waverly could make a move to the car, even with Wynonna keeping a hold on her.

“I need you to calm down. I know how it looks. Trust me, it seems worst than it is. But we are trying to help her and she needs to feel safe”. At Waverly’s hurt expression, he continued “Look, I called you as soon as I could. A farmer heard the impact and called us. When the ambulance arrived, she was conscious and we are working very hard at keeping it that way. But she is a bit confused and we need you to talk to her for a while, just enough for them to finish with the car and free her”. Waverly nodded and looked at Wynonna, who smiled at her in the best reassuring way. 

Making her way to the car, she could hear the paramedics explaining what they were doing. Nicole had a bandage in her neck, that seems to be covering really fast in her blood and an oxigen mask was placed in her face. They were keeping the eye contact but Waverly could see that Nicole was beyond distraught and her eyes were a little unfocused.

“Hey baby, I’m here” Waverly moved close to the car, being careful not to nterrupt the firefighters. One of the paramedics signaled for her to take his place, while he changed angles and worked on Nicole’s left hand that seemed to be broken -if the purple color was any indication. 

“Miss, we are close to open cut the door but the front of the car is in a position where her legs are trapped. Keep talking to her, while we work on moving the chair enough to free her”, explained one of the men working in the metal. He said that in a low voice and Waverly nodded, careful to show any emotions to her girlfriend.

“Look at me baby. You are going to be fine” She moved to touch one of the redhead’s cheeks, careful to not move the mask. The touch was soft and apparently it gave Nicole enough focus to maintain her concentration on Waverly. “Soon you are going to be out of this car and when the doctors can help you to recover, we can go to that little trip we were talking about the other day”

She tried hard to describe her plans for the trip, giving her planning skills another use to help her girlfriend to stay awake. The paramedics explained that it was probable that when they moved her out of the car, the presure of the front of the patrol on her body was going to cause a fall on her vitals due to some internal bleeding and more injuries that were not being treated. Nedley had lied. It was worst than it seemed and Waverly was making use of her power to hide any painful emotions to avoid any worries in Nicole. Not that it was necessary. The redhead was awake but barely focused and even though she was making eye contact, she seemed far away, distracted and not completely aware of her surroundings or her situation.

“What the fuck, Nedley? Weren’t you supposed to be working indoors today?” Asked a troubled and jumpy Wynonna, without missing her sister’s attempts to distract Nicole.

“We were. But then we received a call. Someone reported an accident in one of the farms at the end of the road. The other officers were on patrol duties and Haught thought it was not necessary to give them the extra work. So she decided to come”. 

“And what about the accident? Did she solve the problem? Because it seems to me that she was still on her way and we are a bit far of the end of the road”. Suspicion was making her way inside Wynonna, making her ready to kill anyone trying to hurt Nicole on purpose.

“I know what you’re implying. But whoever called didn’t know she was the one to come here. We can’t jump to conclusions Earp. Not everyone is involved in a conspiracy to kill you and your friends”

After forty minutes, the group managed to break the car and move the chair. As expected, Nicole’s vitals dropped and the paramedics started to move around her, placing bandages and working their best to stabilize her. At some point, Nicole’s eyes closed and she was not responding to Waverly’s calls. Wynonna moved to her sister quickly and stopped her enough to give the paramedics and firefighters enough time to move Nicole to the ambulance. Then, Waverly jumped in the back with Nicole, while Wynonna moved to the Jeep and drove close to them. 

“Hey Dolls. Call the others. We are moving to the city’s hospital. Nicole had an accident”.


	2. The Ex is back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I wanted to thank you all for the kudos, comments and suscriptions to this story! I wasn’t expecting it, specially because I am a bit rusty at writing fics. So you really made my week and I thought it was a good idea to give you an update today.
> 
> A special thanks and a big hug to @thatkidwiththeunkepthair who offered to help me in one of the comments and actually made time to review the chapter, offer some tips and suggest modifications. You were Amazing! Thank you so much!!
> 
> Now, enjoy the second chapter and remember that I’m open to your feedback if it helps me improve. Have a lovely week!

The trip to the Foothills Medical Center in Calgary took Wynonna a little more than an hour, even though it was a two hour trip. Nicole and Waverly were already there. After stopping at the heliport of the Purgatory Medical Centre, the paramedics transferred Nicole to a helicopter directed to the city. They had managed a connection rather quickly and Nedley had some friends in Calgary who helped with the preparations to properly and safely receive Nicole.

Now, Wynonna made her way to the third floor, where the ICU was located. She needed to find her sister and she did so very quickly. Waverly was sitting on one of the benches in the waiting room. A family of four was talking quietly, surely expecting some news about a loved one too.

“Hey baby girl, what do we know?” she asked while placing her arm around Waverly, who moved closer to her sister before quietly answering.

“Not much. A group of doctors were waiting for us at the roof and then they moved pretty quickly. One of the nurses told me to wait, to give them space. Then he walked me here. He said he would keep me updated.”

“Then we’ll wait. The others are coming. Dolls is driving them here”. 

Waverly nodded at that.

“There wasn’t that much blood, but she was so pale. She looked even more fragile than after the widow attack. She’s been through so much already and it seems like she can’t catch a break. If it is not a crazy girl shooting her, then there’s some crazy supernatural creature and... I c-can’t...” at that her voice broke and she started crying. Wynonna held her silently. She knew her sister had held her tears back and it was better that she cried now, before they saw Nicole.

Half an hour had passed before a tall nurse approached them. Wynonna shifted in her seat so that she held Waverly with her left arm across her sister’s shoulder, pulling her into her side. Then, she softly indicated Waverly that the nurse was waiting for them and the younger brunette directed her attention to the new arrival.

“Miss Earp, as I promised I came to give you an update. Your girlfriend is currently in surgery. The doctors managed to have a view of her inner injuries and they are working on some of them. The cut in her neck is fixed, her left hand is immobilized and there is a head trauma that needs to be checked during the procedure, but as soon as we have more news about her, I’ll come and let you know.”

“Thank you”, the reply was so soft that Wynonna almost doubt she had heard it.

“Yes, thank you. We will be here.” Wynonna gave the nurse her best smile making an effort to look friendly and he nodded at them before making his way back to the ICU doors.

“A head trauma? Well, that explains her confusion. She seemed lost, Wynonna. I was talking to her and she was looking at me, but it was like she wasn’t with me anymore. What if this time...”

“Don’t, Waves! Nicole needs you to think positive. I know it doesn’t look good but like you said, she’s been through a lot and this time is not going to be an exception at how she’s going to make it. Haught-shot is strong and besides, she has the best back up team ever!”

As soon as she finished talking, Dolls, Doc and Jeremy made their way through the room and closer to the sisters. Doc hugged Waverly as Dolls put a strong, comforting hand on her shoulder, while Jeremy stood close by. 

“Nedley told me that he’s going to have help examining the patrol car to try to understand the accident. I have some friends that can double check if necessary. And Jeremy here is already thinking about a way to access the security footage of the town so we can know if something weird was involved” said Dolls and Waverly gave him a small smile.

“Thank you boys”, she said. “She’s in surgery, so we have to wait”

“Waverly?” a woman’s voice broke their conversation and Waverly turned to the stranger, only to open her eyes in recognition. Dolls remembered seeing the woman in the hospital during Nicole’s convalescence after being bitten. The woman approached them and Waverly seemed a bit uncomfortable. 

“Hello Shae. It seems that we keep meeting in the worst circumstances”, she smiled awkwardly. Wynonna gave them a confused look and turned to see the other’s reactions, but they seemed as lost as her.

“Care to introduce us baby girl?”

“Right. Shae, this is my sister Wynonna. And they are our friends, Dolls, Doc and Jeremy” she pointed at them. Dolls nodded, Doc tipped his hat and Jeremy waved nervously. “Guys, this is Nicole’s...”

“Ex wife”, completed Shae, nodding at them in return and helping Waverly finish the introduction when she saw her doubting. 

“Oh, so you’re Haught’s Britney’s crazy moment at Vegas, huh?”

“Wynonna!” Hissed Waverly, but Shae smiled anyway.

“You could say that. But before we continue ignoring how awkward this is, where’s Nicole? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I thought you knew. As her next of kin, I thought Nedley had called you and that’s why you were here” said Waverly, only now noticing Shae’s white coat, with a ‘Dr. Pressman’ label on the front pocket.

“Eh, no. We already changed that. It was part of the things that we arranged with the divorce. What happened?”

“We are not entirely sure. She had an accident in her patrol car and a team of paramedics and firefighters had to help her out of it. She’s in surgery now.” explained Waverly.

“Okay. In that case I’ll go inside and see what else can I find out. Don’t worry. She’s a tough one.” Shae smiled at Waverly and nodded to the group once more, before making her way to the ICU.

“Nicole has very good taste. She seems very pretty and classy” said Jeremy. The whole group glared at him, with the exception of Waverly who seemed hurt. “Shut up, Jeremy! Not the best moment to say that”

“It’s okay, she’s pretty. And I already made my peace with that.”

“She didn’t seem that impressive to me. Not sure what Nicole saw in her.”

“Don’t worry Nonna. You don’t have to make me feel better by trash talking about her”. The older sister shrugged. “Besides, she can help us with better updates than the nurse from earlier and she cares about Nicole too.”

“So Red did change her next of kin. That explains why they gave you the information so easily” said Wynonna.

“I haven’t given too much thought to it. Maybe Nedley had given them some instructions to let me in and keep me informed.”

“Not even Nedley has the power to change this hospital protocols. So probably Haught made the deal after her last visit to a medical facility.”

“Why do you have to talk so proper all the time, Dolls? You make us non-machines sound like morons.”

“Maybe you do sometimes sound like that Wynonna.” said Doc playfully, earning himself a glare from the Earp Heir, while Dolls smiled at him in approval. Waverly felt a rush of affection for the boys and her sister. Only they could make her feel calm in the middle of the current situation.

After two hours, the sisters were sitting in the waiting room, Waverly with her head on Wynonna’s shoulder and her eyes closed. She wasn’t sleeping, but it helped her maintain her focus without letting herself be consumed by the nerves. Jeremy and Doc were looking for coffee and snacks, while Dolls had retreated to talk to Nedley in another room.

It was in this moment that Shae approached the sisters. Wynonna saw her and her heart stopped when she noticed the brunette had a worried stance. 

“Waves, Shae’s back”, she said and her sister opened her eyes and stood up.

“Do you know how she’s doing?”

“I managed to enter the OR and talked to the doctors. She hurt her left knee and broke her right tibia and fibula, which caused some of the bleeding. She had some pressure in her liver and they are trying to control some bleeding in her spleen. They were doing fine, but the stress of the surgery caused her heart to stop and they had to resuscitate her, before continuing”

“Jeez! And here I thought that only Jeremy and me lacked tact,” exclaimed Wynonna when the news became too much for Waverly, who paled and sat down.

“I’m sorry. In my experience the more honest answer is the best for the family” 

“You’re right. Thank you, I appreciate it,” said Waverly. Wynonna kept looking at Shae with annoyance. 

“They are taking their time in fixing the liver and spleen problems. Also, a scan on her brain showed that she has some swelling because of a TBI, but they are still trying to assess the severity.”

“A tb what?” Asked a confused Wynonna. Shae was going to answer but Waverly did it first.

“A traumatic brain injury.” Shae nodded and Wynonna seemed impressed, but still a bit loss. 

“The patrol hit a tree and one of the branches fell on the roof. She was distracted and out of focus while they rescue her.” Shae nodded once more in understanding.

“It may be connected only to the branch but also as part of her head moving violently with the crash. I may be able to help if I have more information.”

“What are you, a brain doctor?” Asked Wynonna.

“Actually yes, I’m a neurosurgeon. But my shift is almost over and I need some rest. I’m going inside again to talk with the group of doctors working on her. The one examining the damage to her brain is a friend of mine and he’s going to be in charge while I come back tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s in good hands.”

“Thank you,” smiled Waverly, taking Shae’s hand in a grateful gesture. The brunette doctor returned the gesture, before nodding to Wynonna and making her way back to the ICU.

“A strange McDreamy, that one” said Wynonna.

“Yes, and right now she’s the only one who can helps to know more about Nicole's condition. So you better be on your best behavior”

“Sure, baby girl. Everything for Haught-stuff”


	3. Her mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole is not sure where and when she is, while her friends receive strange news.

Nicole opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings. She had a feeling that she was in the wrong place and wasn’t entirely sure about which hour, day or month she was in. Hell, she didn’t even know where she was. She could see a lot of houses in a street resembling too much to the neighborhood where she grew up in Toronto. It felt weird to open her eyes and not even remembering why she decided to close them in the first place. She felt that it was not because of blinking or because she was in a meditation process. She only opened them and there she was, in this familiar neighborhood. Everything was confusing and the feeling of being misplaced was the clearest thing for her in the moment.  
So, she decided to walk. She saw people moving around her in their daily routines and she could recognized some of them. Mr. Thompson, a bald man in his forties that used to walk down the street every two hours, just to find someone to criticize. Also, Liam Rogers and his girlfriend, who saw her and smiled, before making their usual way to the park. She was now sure it was her old neighborhood, but she couldn’t understand what she was doing there. It was annoying, especially considering that the people around her seemed to think it was normal and didn’t act surprise to see her after… well, a long time.  
“Are you coming or not?”, asked someone behind her. When she turned around she recognized her childhood best friend, Dani Sullivan. Something inside her told her that it was not possible to have her there, but she was seeing Dani and her friend was talking to her, so she ignored the voice in her head.  
“Where are we going?” she asked, trying to hide her confusion about the situation.  
“To the lake, dummy!”, said Dani with a smile. “You are very distracted today”.  
“Sorry. It’s just that I feel like I forgot something”, she explained. After scratching her neck in confusion, she added “Let’s go”.  
Dani talked all the way to the lake. She told Nicole about the discussion she had with Mary Collins the night before. Apparently, they liked the same boy and Mary had not being very kind in her comments about Dani’s dancing abilities. Nicole felt like they weren’t really talking about last night. She felt she had this same conversation years ago but wasn’t entirely sure. What a strange deja-vu feeling! Something was not right with her mind today.  
“What do you think?”, asked Dani and Nicole stared blankly at her. “Come on, Haught! What’s wrong with you? You haven’t said more than two complete sentences the whole day and you are looking at everything like you are an outsider”. She made a pause and stood. She grabbed Nicole’s elbow delicately and moved closer. “Is this because of your father?”  
“My father?”  
“Yes, because of what he said about your decision to become a cop”  
“Police officer” she corrected. She remembered that conversation with her father. They have never been close. He had always wanted to have a son, so she already knew it was very disappointing to have her in his life. But after she told him about her intentions to follow his path as an officer of the law, he started yelling at her, telling her she didn’t know what she was talking about and how wrong she was if she thought he was going to allow that stupid idea. He never gave her an explanation. When she looked at her mother, she only shrugged and moved around the kitchen, ignoring her once more.  
“Whatever. You can tell me, you know? Your father is an ass and you can be whoever you want to be. I mean, you have always been good with the rules and helping people, so he shouldn’t be mad at you”.  
“I guess. But I wasn’t even thinking about him. I really don’t know what’s happening to me. I just feel a bit off, like I’m not supposed to be here or like I’m missing something”, she explained.  
“Is this your way of telling me you don’t want to go to the lake?” asked Dani in mock suspicion.  
“No”, Nicole smiled. “I want to go, I’m just not sure why”.  
“You are acting very philosophical today” said Dani.  
They arrived at the lake and sat at their usual place under a big tree, with the perfect view of the ducks and far from the benches where people sat to give the animals pieces of bread or to gossip.  
“I have always envy those ducks. They seem so carefree in the lake, just swimming and playing around, without thinking about their future, their families or worrying about their grades, their love life or their career choices”, said Dani.  
“Well, they probably are thinking about how to avoid predators or how to distract the people to steal the bread. Maybe some of them are planning ways to conquer the lake and being the superior species” answered Nicole. Dani laughed and hit her in the shoulder.  
“You are so dumb”. Nicole shrugged, smiling softly.  
“My point is that there is always something to be worried about. Maybe those ducks are thinking about how lucky we are because we get to sit here to look at them without anything else on our minds”, the redhead added.  
“You’re right”. Dani nodded, and they stared at the lake in silence. After a moment, she asked “How do you do it?”  
“What?”  
“How do you manage to be so calm about everything? To just accept things and be patient. To always find the best angle for every situation”  
“Well, I learned a long time ago that people only give what they can, and it is up to me to learn what I can from every scenario I find myself in. My parents are not the most loving folks but that’s because they married too young and they don’t have the life they thought they deserved. So now I know I must be careful with my decisions, to love the people closer to me exactly how they are and to do my best to correct my mistakes. It is a matter of observing and learning”  
“You are a real bumper sticker” said Dani laughing. But something about that phrase irked Nicole. It wasn’t the meaning or the intention behind it. It was the sense that it did not belong to Dani’s lips, like if it belong to someone else in another context, maybe another time. “What?”  
“Nothing” answered the redhead.  
_______________________________________________

After four hours of surgery, Nicole had been moved to one of the rooms in the ICU and the doctor in charge, Dr. Mendez, had explained that they decided to stop the procedure to give Nicole a break and prevent another cardiac arrest due to the stress in her body. Dr. Mendez told them he was going to monitor the evolution of the TBI before attempting another intervention. For now, the problems in the liver and spleen were in control and it was up to Nicole’s body the recovering process.  
If someone asked Wynonna, it wasn’t the most comforting news, especially considering that despite the apparent calm Waverly was exuding, she was sure her little sister was panicking internally. She could tell. Waverly was finding different excuses to move around the waiting room. First, she offered to look for coffee, ignoring the fact that they had just refilled their cups. Then, she started to talk to different families, offering comfort and making them smile. After a while, she decided it was a good idea to ask the nurses about the history of the hospital, something they couldn’t help her with considering they were busy. Doc, Dolls and Jeremy just looked at her in understanding, but Wynonna had tried to make Waverly sit down and wait patiently for the doctor’s green light for visits. When she noticed that her sister was going to stand up again with a new idea to occupy her mind, she finally turned to her and talk.  
“Baby girl, you need to calm down. I know it is hard, but moving around the hospital, asking people about the founders and how medical procedures have evolved since the 19th century is not going to help anybody”  
“I know Wynonna. But we’ve been here for six hours or more, waiting for the nurse that is supposed to take us to Nicole’s room. Dr. Mendez said we could see her after an hour”  
“And it has been an hour and a half, not six”, she nodded at the clock in one of the walls and Waverly frowned.  
“Really? Well, it’s been more than an hour” she said in defiance.  
“You have use that time very well, baby girl”. Waverly glared at her. “The doctor said it could take longer. They need to run some tests, maybe monitor her after the surgery and other medical stuff. So, we need to be patient, okay?”  
“Okay”, Waverly sighed. Doc moved closer to her and kneeled to look at her attentively.  
“Officer Haught is a very strong woman. She has gone through a lot and always manages to face it with grace and bravery. She may not have the most experience with the supernatural world, as all of us, but she’s smart, patient, observant and always ready to face whatever challenge. This is not going to stop her”, he said.  
“Thanks Doc”, smiled Waverly.  
“He’s right. Nicole is part of this team because of her own stubbornness and effort. I wouldn’t have trusted her with BBD information if she was like any of the other officers in Purgatory. I may not have told her about the revenants since the beginning, but she has proved herself more than once. She’s going to be fine”, added Dolls. He was standing to Wynonna’s left, with Jeremy at his right between him and Doc.  
After another thirty minutes, nurse Paulson (the same guy that had received Nicole at the heliport and had offered Waverly to keep her updated) approached the group and told them they could see Nicole, one person at a time and for not longer than fifteen minutes each. Waverly was the obvious choice to go first and the nurse led her to a preparation room in the ICU, close to the glass room where Nicole was located. He was careful to explain Waverly that she needed to use special scrubs to enter the room, after cleaning her hands to avoid the risk of infections for Nicole.  
When they finally arrived at the room, Waverly did her best to remain calm after seeing the state her girlfriend was in, with a lot of tubes and cables connecting her to different monitors and machines.  
“It looks worse than it is. These are mostly a precaution and a way to know how everything is evolving. Don’t worry” said the nurse.  
“Easier said than done” whispered Waverly, approaching carefully to the pale redhead and placing her hand over one of Nicole’s.  
“I’ll be moving around if you need anything. Just press the button and I’ll be here”, nurse Paulson smiled before leaving.  
“Hi baby”, she said while moving to place a gentle kiss on Nicole’s forehead. “You have been very brave and strong. We are cheering you on so don’t worry, we got your back. I was talking to other families not long ago and some of them have reasons to be worried about their love ones’ condition, but not me because I know you are going to be fine”. She felt herself starting to crack, so she decided to change the subject. “I saw Shae. She told me you changed your next of kin after the divorce. She left to rest after her shift, but she said she will be back tomorrow. Wynonna wasn’t too happy to see her, but I guess that was only her protective mode in case I wasn’t comfortable in her presence”.  
The heart monitor kept beeping and Waverly felt herself reassured by the sound. Nicole looked fragile amongst all those cables and machines, but she was there, making her best to recover. After another ten minutes of telling Nicole about what she could find on the history of the hospital, nurse Paulson told her the visit time was over and that someone else could come in. They were supposed to make rotations every fifteen minutes until dr. Mendez was sure Nicole was stronger and without risk of infection.  
Wynonna came in after Waverly. She made her best to seem unpreoccupied but as soon as she made sure that nobody was close, she actually cried for her friend.  
“You look terrible Haught-shot. And Waverly is a mess, and everything is fucking confusing. I mean, why were you on that road? What happened? I swear that if this wasn’t just an accident and someone is behind it, I’ll kill them. You are one of the good ones, Nicole. Yes, you are a nark and awfully overprotective, but there’s no other person I could trust with my baby sister wellbeing than you. So, you better recover and come back to us, you hear me?”  
Dolls went in after Wynonna, while Doc approached the brunette and hugged her. Waverly was talking to Jeremy and seem much more relaxed now that she had seen Nicole. Before she could enter again, Nedley arrived with Chrissy.  
“Hello everybody. How’s she doing?” he asked, while his daughter made her way to Waverly, holding her hand in support.  
“She’s recovering after surgery and they are monitoring her, specially because of a head concussion. They only allow us to visit for fifteen minutes and we just finish the first round. But you can enter. I’m sure she will be happy to sense you there” explained Waverly.  
“I will in a moment. Maybe you can go first while I talk to them” he said to Chrissy, who nodded and went to find the nurse, with the help of Doc.  
“What is it?” asked Wynonna, suspicious of the sheriff obvious move to send her daughter away.  
“We tracked the emergency call and talked with the farm owners. They did have a problem with a group of people attacking their animals and when they didn’t succeed at stopping them, they called to the station. But they said that a lady officer helped them. And with the description they gave us, we can conclude that the lady officer wasn’t Haught”  
“But, that’s impossible. Nicole is the only woman in the department” exclaimed a confused Waverly.  
“So that means that someone took her place and that someone could be involved in her accident” said Dolls, the sheriff nodded, and everybody was too shock to say anything else.


	4. The mysterious woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Information about the woman who took Nicole’s place is difficult to find, but the team is working on knowing who caused the accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you again for giving this story a chance! I hope you enjoy this new chapter, posted as a personal celebration of the information about season 3 airing in July. Have a lovely week!

The Purgatory Sheriff Department was not usually busy. For a town where many residents or foreigners died in strange circumstances, answers where found pretty quickly by blaming some animal or wild condition. 

But for the first time in his seven years working there, Lonnie felt the heaviness of a shift. He was known by his naive and often mistaken judgement, although he knew his way around town and people trusted in him, including the sheriff. After all, Nedley had put him in charge of the Department while he visited Nicole. Yes, maybe he was not the sheriff’s first option, but he was trustworthy and he could do his job with dedication. What he wasn’t expecting was to receive an angry group of elders, both men and women, asking for officer Haught’s wellbeing and the name of the person responsible for her state.

“I assure you ma’am that we are trying to understand the accident and what caused it” he explained to Mrs. Dalloway, a woman in her seventies that lived across Shorty’s.

“If you are only trying to understand what is obviously an attack, then we can’t trust you!” she exclaimed, and the others nodded in agreement. “Officer Haught is really careful when driving and that accident makes no sense at all”

“What accident does, ma’am?” Lonnie tried to joke, but his attempt was received with a set of glaring eyes.

“Patricia is right. Officer Haught is too careful to just slam her car into a tree. We demand answers and if you are not going to get them, we will!” said Mr. Delfino. He was the owner of a grocery store and his progressive arthritis make him receive Nicole’s help too often.

“As I said, we are trying to understand what happened. Leave the investigation to us. You should go to your places and let us do our job”

“What the hell is going on here?” asked an angry Nedley. Chrissy, close to him, just stared at the elders and Lonnie with curiosity.

“Sheriff, these people want to know details about the accident and are threatening to find answers by themselves if we don’t give them an explanation now” explained Lonnie.

“Well, every investigation is confidential and information about it can only be discreetly discussed with people close to the case” said the Sheriff, directing his answer to the group.

“We are close to officer Haught, so we need some answers!” yelled Mrs. Cromwell, the owner of the laundry service. 

“We all feel close in this town. But the information is for Haught’s family only, and unless she is secretly married to one of you or has a hidden connection with anyone here, I say the information of the case is confidential. So, go away. Go back to service the people of Purgatory. I’m sure officer Haught would be really disappointed if she’s back and most of the town’s businesses are closed” said the Sheriff. Chrissy smiled and then helped him send away the elders.

“Wow, she really is something around here” she exclaimed as soon as she moved with his father to his office, closing the door behind them.

“Well, she does her job and always tries to help people around, even when she’s not in service. A special girl, that one” he said fondly, concerned present on his features.

“She’s going to be fine, dad. Waverly and Nicole’s ex wife will make sure of it” 

“When I brought her I knew she was going to face strange circumstances. I knew it was a matter of time before she started to experience the quirks of this town. But her connection to the Earps made everything happen faster than I wanted. And now is common for her to be injured, in the middle of life and death situations”. Nedley said this with a broken expression that made Chrissy’s heart shrink in sympathy. 

“Is not your fault. It is nobody’s fault! Even the town seniors know the dangers of this place. You said it yourself. Nicole is more than aware of the situation and she knows how to handle it. Besides, she loves Waverly and she will recover in no time just to make sure she’s alright”. Chrissy moved closer to her father and hugged him. For the first time in a long time, more than she could remember, her father cried.

——————————————

“Dr. Mendez is going to be in charge of Nicole and I’ll be talking with him all the time. If he needs me, I will be ready to help, but for now I need to maintain my distance to the case, considering my connection with her” explained Shae. She had arrived early in the morning, ready to take the case of her ex wife but the chief of surgery had told her she was too close to have a clear judgment. She wasn’t pleased and Waverly could tell.

“Well, as long as you are informed, I’m sure is going to be alright. Dr. Mendez seems like a good doctor. Have you seen her? I tried to spend the night but the nurses didn’t let me. Wynonna was here the whole night with Doc. She said visits start at 8am”  
“I think it was wise for you to go home and rest. And your sister should do the same. As for your question, I saw her and her vitals are stable”

“That word gives me the creeps. “Stable”. What does it even mean?”, said Waverly and Shae approached her, took her hand and led her to a chair nearby.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you something more appropriate. But as a doctor I learned that “stable” is the most accurate term when the patient is doing their best. As you, I want to remain optimistic, but the accident caused a lot of damage. Mendez is going to show me the brain scans in an hour. Then I will understand her condition better and give you a better word to describe it”

“Thank you Shae. I know meeting like this is not ideal, but I know you are part of Nicole’s life and I really appreciate what you’re doing now”. 

Shae was ready to answer but before she could, Wynonna and Doc approached them. The heir looked tired after a night in the waiting room.

“Hey! Doc and I just ate something at the cafeteria. We brought you some less gross-looking muffins”

“Wynonna! Be nice!” Said Waverly, receiving the muffins and giving her share to Shae, who only laughed.

“She’s right! The food is not bad, but it surely isn’t the best. Thank you for the muffins”, said the doctor.

“See? She knows what I mean. Dolls called. Doc and I will meet him at the homestead and we’ll keep you updated, baby girl”.

“Thank you Nonna, and thank you Doc”. The cowboy smiled at her. “Try to rest in between talking to Dolls. I will see Nicole and let you know if anything changes”. She stood up, hugged Wynonna and Doc, and they nodded their goodbyes to Shae, before leaving.

“Is almost eight. Maybe you should go to the nurse station and change into the scrubs to see your girl” said Shae.

“Right. Thank you. Will I see you soon?”

“I am going to start my shift too, but I’ll make sure to stay close and in contact. Here, there’s my number”. The doctor gave Waverly a card. The short brunette took it carefully.

“Thank you”, she said and Shae nodded before parting ways with her. 

Waverly walked to the nurse station and asked for the scrubs and preparation necessary to see her girlfriend. Then, once ready, one of the nurses accompanied her to the room. The beap of the machines calmed her again. They were an indication that Nicole’s heart was still beating and that was more than enough. For now.

“Hey sweety! How are you feeling today?” She carefully caressed Nicole’s face, and then moved to touch her right hand. Then she pressed a gentle kiss in her forehead. Nicole looked pale but peaceful. Another good sign, if you asked her. “I tried to stay the night but the nurses and Wynonna sent me away. I tried to rest at home, but only slept a couple of hours. I’m alright, don’t worry. And I just ate a terrible looking muffin, so I’m not hungry. Shae’s here. She won’t be able to assist you, but she’ll be in close contact with your doctor, making sure you have the best care”. 

Waverly had packed her book of the history of the police force of Purgatory. She was going to make the best of her fifteen minutes (twelve now). Keeping Nicole’s mind active was important so a little bit of reading could help her.

———————————————-

“What do you mean there’s no trace of that woman in the security footage?” Asked Wynonna, glaring at Dolls. Jeremy was nervously staring at her.

“I mean that Jeremy and I carefully examined every image. The people in the farm are talking with someone but this person is not clear. We only have the descriptions of the farmers and we know is a blond, tall woman, in her early thirties. She identified herself as officer Thompson” explained Dolls.

“I can not understand the people in this town. Surely they know there are not new officers around. Everybody is always paying attention to other people’s business, so a new woman in the force should’ve risen some alarms” Doc exclaimed.

“We thought about it too. That’s why I need you and Jeremy to go talk to these farmers. Try to understand why they thought it was normal to accept this person” said Dolls.

“Do you think that she messed with their minds or something?” asked Wynonna.

“That’s a possibility. We need to find the information for ourselves. Nedley is a capable man, but considering the other officers, not much can be done”.

“Wait. You say you want Doc and Jeremy to go there. What about you and me?” asked the brunette.

“You are going to come with me and check the area, specially the places close to the car crash. We need to find other clues” explained the agent. 

—————————————-

Another blink and she was no longer near the lake with Dani. She was actually in a different place from her old neighborhood. Something really weird was happening because she was sure she was talking with Dani and then she appeared in her old college room. Also, the memory of her moment with Dani seemed foggy, like something that happened a long time ago.

She walked to the mirror in her room. She looked older than she should have for a person in college. The age seems accurate to how she felt but the context was odd. She couldn’t stop the feelings of being in the wrong place, the wrong time and even the wrong situation. But she couldn’t remember where she was supposed to be, different than at this college room.

“Hi, my name is Lane, Lane Sawyer”. A woman she surely remembered but apparently only just met, was smiling at her from the door. Lane offered her hand and Nicole returned the gesture.

“Hello Lane. Nice too meet you. I’m Nicole Haught.” She noticed the other woman smiling, so she added. “I know. If you have puns to make, I assure you I have heard my fair share of them and I won’t be surprised or mad”.

Lane laughed.

“Well, as long as you are used to it” she added.

“Yes, don’t worry. If we are going to be roommates, we need to make that kind of information clear”.

“Are you planning to become a lawyer?”. Lane’s question surprised Nicole. Her confusion must’ve been obvious, because the girl added “the books in your bed, they are all law related”.

“Well, that’s something I’m interested in, but I actually want to study criminology to become a Police Officer. After this, the academy waits for me, hopefully. My father expects me to become a lawyer, so this serves as a distraction for him too” she explained.

“My family wants me to study something worthy. Apparently Arts is not in that category but is what I like the most”. Lane showed her a draw picture of a landscape. 

“You did this?” Nicole asked and Lane nodded. “Wow, this is beautiful! You are very talented”

“Thank you” the girl smiled. Nicole noticed a little blush but maybe it was a light effect.

————————————-

“So, this woman has abilities to confuse people?” asked Waverly, who was sitting in the waiting room when her sister called her to check on her. 

“That’s what Jeremy and Doc think. Apparently when they talked to the farmers who called the station, they all seemed to think this ‘Officer Thompson’ was a long time resident. They even said that after helping them, the woman asked about their families and they enjoyed a great conversation. Of course non of that is reflected in the footage”, explained a frustrated Wynonna.

“And now what? Do we look for information about a mentalist revenant or something?” Asked Waverly.

“No. You stay there with your girl. I will keep looking around with Dolls. We have pictures of the territory close to the accident and we are going to see the patrol car. Doc and Jeremy are going to the hospital now, to keep you company”.

“Ok. I will search what I can online. After all, I’m waiting for another round to see my baby”.

“Do that, then. And tell Haught-shot she owes me a beer. I haven’t forgotten how she called me crazy when I said I was better at driving”

“Hey! Nicole is really careful under normal circumstances. You can’t make her pay you a beer for something she couldn’t control”

“Yes, I can! She will see things from my perspective and pay me a beer. You’ll see!”

“Seriously, Nonna! You...” she caught herself in the middle of the sentence and Wynonna couldn’t know what she was, because at that precise moment a code blue was called and the nurses at the station started to move really fast in the direction of one of the rooms, making Waverly’s heart stop in fear.


	5. Mechanical clues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team has new information about the accident after checking the conditions of Nicole's patrol car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! I had some troubles finding the concentration needed to write this chapter, so I apologize for the long wait. As always, I appreciate your feedback. Have a lovely end of the week and of the month!

"That was really scary Nonna! I know it was bad of me to assume she was the one in danger, but Nicole does tend to drop her vitals and almost dying" exclaimed Waverly.

She was pacing while she talked, Doc and Jeremy had arrived a while ago on time to hold her when she almost black out in her despair at the code blue. Jeremy went to talk with one of the nurses that had not attended the emergency and returned after two minutes explaining that Nicole was safe, but not the older man in the room next to hers. Waverly was immediately feeling better, although guilty for that and a little worried about the man. Now, fifteen minutes later she was talking to Wynonna on the phone, while drinking a glass of water Doc gave her and waiting for her sister to arrive with Dolls from their examination of Nicole’s patrol car.

"I don't blame you, baby girl. Haught has made a terrible habit to be in those places in critical conditions. But she's tough."

"I know. I still can feel my world crumbling down. If it weren't for Doc who rushed to hold me and Jeremy who went to find out what was going on, I think I would have collapsed completely”

“We wouldn’t have let you. Besides, I don’t think Nicole would be pleased at that. Anyway, we are at the hospital now”.

“Alright, we are waiting for you”. Waverly finished the call and turn to look at Jeremy and Doc, who were now discussing about magic.

“And this Hogwarts...?” asked a confused Doc.

“It’s a magic school. The witches and wizards go there to…” he interrupted his explanation after noticing the amused look of Waverly. “I’ll tell you later. Are they here?”

“Yes, they are probably on the elevator by now” said the brunette.

“Did Wynonna mention what they found?” asked Doc.

“No. I’m sure she will now” answered Waverly nodding towards her sister and Dolls, who were exiting the elevator and making their way towards them. Wynonna hugged her sister -knowing she probably needed that after her earlier scare- before starting her explanation of the findings.

“The scene didn’t give us much information. We took pictures anyway, so maybe you could look at them and do your brainy thing” she said to Jeremy, giving him the pictures. The boy nodded and started his examination in his seat.

“But Nicole’s car did. The people Nedley contacted told us the car had not brakes’ difficulties and as far they could tell, it was working properly at the time of the accident. They first thought that she had tried to avoid hitting something and crashed against the tree. But the impact is stronger than the one caused by a voluntary collision. An impact that hard had to be caused If the driver was at highspeed, but their analysis shows Nicole was under the road limit” explained Dolls.

“That’s a given. Nicole is the most careful person while driving, specially while on duty” said Waverly, feeling proud of her girlfriend.

“They have another theory, baby girl. They found strange marks in the car’s trunk”

“So, what? Another car crashed her? I don’t think so. I don’t remember a lot from the scene because I was focused on Nicole, but the impact of the car was in the front”

“Yes, Wynonna told them that. And they showed us the marks”. Dolls paused and gave Wynonna a strange look. She also seemed conflicted.

“What kind of marks? Are we playing a guessing game or something?” asked Waverly in exasperation.

“The marks looked like fingers grabbing metal. Like really, strong hands” answered Wynonna. Waverly stood there with her eyes open and unblinking. Doc and Dolls exchanged concerned glances.  
_____________________________

Nicole was having a great time with Lane. After their first meeting as roommates, the girls had decided to walk around campus and even visited a few buildings were their first classes next week were happening. She still felt confused, with that nagging sense of being repeating herself in another time, but without understanding why. So, she let herself be focus in what Lane said about her family in Alberta and how protective they could be.

“What about you? You mentioned your father wants you to be a lawyer. Is he one too?” the girl asked.

“No. He’s a police officer. Was, he is now retired. He had troubles during a shooting and they forced the retirement on him. Now he works as a security guard. He is not as happy as he used to, but it seems like he enjoys his job”.

“Wow, that must have been hard for him. Is that why he wants you doing something different?”

“I don’t think so. I guess is more related to his thoughts about women and how inadequate it is for one of them to be an officer”, answered Nicole, smiling.

“And he thinks you can be a lawyer? Not a housewife or maybe someone doing all the job while a man takes the credit for it?” asked Lane. Her tone was almost charged with fury, although she was trying to sound casual. Nicole laughed.

“You would think. But one of his best friends told him about his girl being a lawyer and making a lot of money, so I guess he thought if she could do it, so could I”.

“Glad to know his morals are stronger than his ambition” she scoffed, and Nicole smiled in amusement. “Why are you so calm? If my father suggested something like that patriarchal bullshit I would be furious”.

Something about the phrasing made Nicole think about a strange kid and an older man telling her the boy’s family had helped the town a lot and they couldn’t charge him. The thought made her mad for a moment, but it was not something she really understood so she let it go and focused again in answering Lane’s question. The girl had noticed the change in Nicole but before she could ask about it, the redhead started talking.

“My father and I have not the best relationship. And he’s an old-fashioned man. Even with all of that, he tries to do what he thinks is best for me. We don’t see the world the same way and I try to do things from my perspective without him noticing, so that he feels he’s in charge. So, even if he finds out, the fact that I don’t give him too much trouble is enough to appease him”.

“Ok. And what about your mom?”

Nicole smiles sadly. “She lives in her own world”.

Noticing that Nicole was not going to explain that better, Lane decided to continue.

“My mom is like your father. She thinks I should just study for the sake of knowledge and to find a suitable husband. Her goal in life is to see me and my older sister married. From all my family, my sister is the one who gets me the most. She’s amazing! We are really close. Emily is a couple of years older than me and she decided to study at the US to stay away from our parents”.

“Smart girl. Then, why are you here?” Lane looked at her with surprise in her eyes. “Don’t get me wrong. Is just that you seem like you really look up to her and I thought you would have consider going away with her”

“I did, for a while. But I didn’t want her thinking I’m not my own person. She always insisted on me doing what I felt was right for me, even if our parents didn’t approve. And besides, I’m not that brave”.

Noticing Lane looked a little down, Nicole decided to change the topic.

“See that bar?” she pointed to a corner nearby and Lane nodded. “The girl who led me to our room told me about that place. Apparently is the best around. Want to go?”  
Lane smiled in agreement and they walked excitedly towards it.  
_________________________________________

Waverly stood looking at the board with pictures and statements they have gathered, that she had just finished putting together. After Shae arrived and told them that she was free the next day and that she could spend the night in the hospital to check on Nicole, the team had made their way to the BBD office at the station. They needed to find some answers about Nicole’s attacker. It was clear they weren’t dealing with an accident anymore.

“Okay. So, this woman, “Officer Thompson” is some kind of mentalist or psyche revenant who can alter memories and convinced the farmers that she has been working as a deputy for a long time. If the footage is correct and the Sheriffs report is accurate, she talked to the farmers a few minutes before Nicole’s accident was informed”. Waverly explained this while pointing at every fact connected to her words.

“Correct. According to Nedley the officers that accepted the report about the accident received the call at 3:45 pm. But the footage we have of this unidentified person and the farmers shows her there at 3:40 pm” added Jeremy.

“And what? Did she attack Nicole in those five minutes? How could she do it? I mean, I know she didn’t really talk a lot with the farmers, but she needed time to alter their minds and then make her way to Nicole” asked the short brunette.

“Well, in the footage we have she stays with the farmers for three minutes. Then, the videos are a bit messy. And we haven’t found images of the road from the moment of the accident” he explained.

“Well, I think that is even more suspicious. It is of my understanding that every part of the city is controlled by those cameras and we haven’t been able to procure the complete footage. What did the Sheriff say about this?” asked Doc.

“He said that the cameras are really old, and they have been asking for budget to replace them, so is a miracle we actually have footage. I’m trying to access to satellite controls to see if maybe we can have other images about that moment. But it’s going to take a while”

“Thank you, Jeremy,” said Waverly with an appreciative smile. “While we wait for that, we also have information about the crash. The patrol was pushed by someone. So, this woman is freakingly strong and for some reason needed Nicole out of the way. It’s obvious she was her target and that’s why she let her drive to the farm but stopped her before she could be of help. Why?”

“To send us a message? It wouldn’t be the first time, baby girl” said Wynonna from a couch, while drinking a spiked coffee.

“I don’t think so. I understand Waverly’s concern” Dolls intervened. He made his way to the board and continued. “If she wanted to send a message to the heir or her sister, this woman would have made it clear it was an attack and probably let us some clues with the farmers. Instead, she let everybody believe it was an accident and she even took the time to solve the emergency”.

“Well, I’ll be damn. What the hell is happening?” said Doc and the others look as lost as him.


	6. The Nurse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shae gives Waverly an update on Nicole's condition, while Dolls and Jeremy examine the pictures from the scene of the accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everybody! I'm trying to work on a regular schedule for updates, so here is a new chapter. I apologize in advance at the medical liberties I took, lacking the knowledge but trying to use the information I found and what is important for this story. Have a lovely week!

Shae Pressman had been a doctor for ten years now and had seen different types of brain traumas, injuries and difficulties. Her family was full of doctors, so it was normal for them to discuss their cases in every reunion and celebration. Except for the dead of her grandparents -which she had easily accepted because it was from natural causes-, she didn’t have a lot of experience with loss.

She could seem cold to other people, but she preferred to describe herself as analytical. Due to her profession, she understood life in ways other couldn’t, because she knew how fragile it could be and she had her fair amount of battles against it doing her best to save her patients’ lives. She had won many times but wasn’t arrogant enough to feel she could always win, something she had made her peace with a long time ago with her parents’ help after she lost her first patient during residency. She was blessed with the most supportive family and loving parents a girl could wish for.

However, knowing all that couldn’t help her to understand her feelings right now. She was currently siting next to Nicole’s bed at the Foothills Medical Center -her work place- waiting for her ex-wife’s girlfriend to arrive.

Nicole Haught. The pretty redhead that had captured her eyes (and heart) while jumping, singing and dancing during a Britney Spears concert in Nevada. With her friends’ encouragement, she had asked Nicole to go with them to a bar and the tall redhead accepted. They had fun that night and talked about their reasons to be there. Shae was celebrating the engagement of one of her friends who lived close to Las Vegas and Nicole had been visiting a college friend who had made the invitation to the concert but then decided to leave her alone to go after a girl she met.

They were so lost in the emotion of the night, that they soon lost count of their many shots and the redhead proposed. “You look very pretty, Shae Pressman. We should get married!”. It was said in a tone between slurred, a yell and a laugh, but Shae was so intoxicated that she thought it was the most romantic line ever and she accepted. They made their way to a small chapel outside of the bar, with Shae’s friends as witnesses. The girls were laughing at the couple, knowing they were going to regret their decision the next day, but too drunk to stop them and deciding it was all part of the trip, another anecdote to share and enjoy.

“Shae” someone called her name, braking her reverie. It was Dr. Mendez, Nicole’s attendant.

“Samuel. How are you doing?” she greeted and stood up, offering him a smile.

“Good. I would ask but you look tired and I’m sure it’s not easy to see someone you care about in that bed”

“It’s different, I think” she said, while turning to look at the pale officer.

The doctor smiled in understanding and moved to check Nicole’s vitals. “Did you see her scans?”. Shae nodded. “What do you think?”

“I agree with your assessment. The swelling can be reduced with medication. Do you think another surgery is really necessary?” she asked.

“Yes. Her spleen is better, but the liver is just stapled enough for her to be here. We need to continue the process and help her to avoid a failure later. I am waiting for the results of last night’s test to see if we can do it in the afternoon”.

“Okay. Do you think I can go in there with you?” she asked and noticed his hesitation, before adding “I know, Samuel. This is your case and I’m too close to her to intervene. I am no planning to be her doctor. I just think it would be helpful for her and her family to have me there”. She didn’t say that it was easier for her too, but she could tell that Dr. Mendez knew.

“Alright. You can scrub in. But just as an observer. I don’t want you doing anything close to intervention during the surgery. Understood?”

Shae nodded. “Thank you, Samuel”. He smiled and nodded before leaving.

\------------------------------------

“Wynonna, Doc is here! Hurry up!”

Waverly’s voice carried through the homestead, reaching Wynonna as she was exiting the bathroom with a fresh pair of clothes and her Hollywood mane set for the day.

“I’m ready, Waverly. You can stop yelling” she said as she reached Waverly and Doc, who were waiting for her at the porch.

“You look better rested this morning!” said Doc with a kind smile which Wynonna returned, but before she could say something else, Waverly grabbed her by her elbow and took her to Doc’s car.

“Whoa, baby girl! Excited much?”

“We are late. I could have gone to the hospital in the Jeep already, but I accepted your idea of going together and here you are, making me regret it”.

“Okay, calm down. We all want to see Haught-mess, so don’t get your knickers in a twist”

“I kindly ask you ladies to stop this nonsensical conversation and get in, so I can drive us to visit officer Haught”. Doc said this while gently pushing them inside, Wynonna at the front seat and Waverly in the back.

“I don’t know why you’re mad, Waves. I mean, is not visit time yet and Shae is there”. Wynonna turned in her seat to look at her sister, Doc quickly igniting the car and leaving the Homestead behind.

“Is a long way to the city, Wynonna. And I want to be close to her. After our conversation from last night, it’s clear that woman is targeting Nicole and we don’t know if she has plans of doing something else to her”

“Don’t let yourself to be worried, Waverly. I’ll drive us there in no time” Doc smiled at her through the rear-view mirror and Waverly felt calmer.

True to his word, the cowboy took them to Calgary in less than an hour and for once Waverly didn’t think about how angry Nicole would be if she knew how many road limits they broke or how many traffic lights they ignored. It was a miracle that nobody stopped them, one that she really appreciated. The trio walked through the hospital with ease, already familiar with the space after three days. As soon as they arrived at the third floor, Waverly texted Shae to let her know they were there. The doctor appeared after five minutes, looking tired after spending the night there.

“Good morning Waverly” she said, approaching the brunette. She nodded to Doc and Wynonna, who returned the gesture.

“Good morning Shae. Thank you for staying. How are you feeling?” asked Waverly and Shae smiled before answering.

“I’m fine, thank you. I slept a little in the on-call room while the nurses made their rounds, so don’t worry. Besides, it’s something I’m used to by now”

“And, how is she?” the shorter girl asked.

“She’s doing fine. I talked to Dr. Mendez not long ago and he said they are waiting for the results of last night’s test to see if they can continue the operation on her liver in the afternoon”. Waverly felt nervous but happy at the same time. It meant that Nicole was stronger now. “And I saw her scans”.

At this, not only Waverly, but also Wynonna and Doc were completely focused on the tall doctor.

“So? Is she doing better from the TV thing?” asked Wynonna with some irritation. Nicole’s ex tended to take long pauses in between important information.

“Her scans show a mild frontal lobe trauma. Due to her head’s movement after the impact, it presents some swelling and medication is being administered to help with that. However, they need to monitor the injury and she will probably have some repercussions after she wakes up”

“What kind of repercussions?” asked a worried Waverly.

“Mostly in her behavior, her ability to make decisions and some mood swings” the woman explained.

“Ok. She does that already. So, I don’t really understand the consequences” said Wynonna trying to joke, but her comment was received with a glare from Waverly and she nodded to Shae, so she could continue.

“She could wake up and present no difficulties, but there’s a high probability of an effect in her deliberation process, as well as a lessened ability to hold attention and retain information which could impact her memory”.

“Alright. We’ll work on that when the time comes” said Waverly, more to herself than to the others, but they still nodded reassuringly. “Thank you, Shae”

“No problem. She’s very dear to me too, so don’t worry”.

“Do you think I can see her now?” the younger Earp asked.

“Yes, it’s visiting time, so you can go to the nurse station and prepare yourself. I’ll see you all later”. Shae placed a hand in Waverly’s shoulder as a goodbye gesture and waved at Doc and Wynonna, before leaving.

________________________________

Dolls and Jeremy had arrived very early to the BBD office to work on finding more information about the case. Dolls had talked to Nedley for a moment, trying to gather information about the person in charge of the cameras, so that maybe he could see for himself the state of the recordings. Jeremy had already started to work on the access to the satellite to find images of the road on the moment of the accident. Right now, Dolls was checking the information in the board that Waverly had carefully organized.

“How is the access to the satellite going?” he asked Jeremy, while paying attention to the pictures he and Wynonna had taken.

“I’m almost there, just a few codes to crack, so give me half an hour”. Dolls nodded satisfied.

He was going to give up on his examination of the pictures, when something caught his interest. It was a minimal sign, but it was there. Just in the corner of one of the pictures, a strange light coming from the tall grass surrounding the area, not far from where they had been standing.

“Take a look at this again. What do you think about this light?” he asked, taking the picture and presenting it to Jeremy.

“Oh” Jeremy said in interest. “It could come from a lens or a flash, captured by the camera and the light reflection. Do you think someone was there, looking at you and Wynonna?”

“Forget it. I’m going to visit the person in charge of the cameras. We really need those videos”. He took his jacket and made his way out of the office, leaving Jeremy to himself.

________________________________________

“But at least she slept well and took a shower. Can you believe it? She didn’t drink herself to sleep. I think she just wants to be focused on solving this, baby” Waverly finished explaining her girlfriend about their morning. Nicole looked the same, but she wanted to believe she was stronger and less pale. “Shae told me you are having surgery in the afternoon. You need to be strong for that, okay?”

“I’m sure she’s going to be alright”. Waverly was startled by the voice but felt calmer as soon as she noticed the nurse making her way to check on Nicole. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you or interrupt”

“It’s alright, you are doing your job. Is nurse Paulson free today?”

“He has the night shift” the nurse answered with a smile. Waverly quickly checked the nurse name tag and saw her last name was Rivers. She was tall, with short blond hair and kind features.

“Do you know if Dr. Mendez is going to continue the operation today?”

“He is going to talk to you about that soon” the woman answered. Then she moved closer to Waverly, and after writing more information in Nicole’s record, she placed a comforting hand on the brunette’s shoulder. Waverly felt compelled to look at the other woman. “Now, Waverly. You probably must go and make sure to check on Nicole’s house. When you get there, open her safe with the code she gave you and take all the files you find there. Then, put them in your car so that the next time you see me, you can give them to me. Don’t mention any of this to your friends, understood?” Waverly nodded with a smile and the woman broke the contact. “Your time is almost up. I’m sure Dr. Mendez will look for you soon”

“Thank you” said Waverly, smiling to the nurse who was now leaving Nicole’s room, probably making her way to monitor another patient.


	7. Meet the Sawyers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole keeps moving from one moment of her life to the other, without understanding how or why. Waverly goes to Nicole's place and the team checks new information about the accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, happy 2019! I hope this new year brings you lots of amazing things and opportunities. Second, I wanted to apologize for taking so long to update this story. Last year was not an easy one in terms of mental health and it was hard to focus on work or writing. I tried to read to distract myself but couldn’t come back to this story.   
> However, like Waverly said, I'm here and I stay. I am ready to continue and finish this story. Thank you for your support, through comments and kudos. Take care!

How could life move so fast, in the blink of an eye? That was literally what Nicole was experiencing. That, and her strong sense of déjà vu. The last one was fading some, but she could still feel she was somehow reliving parts of her life that felt oddly new to her too. Nicole was sure she was going to be spending time with people in her life for a long time and then, after blinking, the people change and the contexts too.

This is how she went from walking with Lane to the bar near campus, to her first class of History of Human Rights, where she met Paul Higgins and Claire Potter. Paul and Claire were funny, and she found herself spending more time with them and Lane after classes. Then another blink, and she was in her first date with Lane at a small cafe outside the campus. She was enjoying herself and then after another movement of her eyes, she was experiencing her first fight with Lane about Katie Rivers, a girl in her Economy class.   
She felt something was not normal and things were going fast. It was like was trapped in a movie, living things she felt she had already lived, but forced to repeat them as if they were new. However, as soon as she tried to understand these events, she felt compelled to move on from them, so they could live in her memory archive and she could focus on another moment of her life.

It was confusing. She was sure not a lot of time was passing between each context, yet it felt like years at the same time. And then that sensation of forgetting something. She heard people in her life telling her things that she felt were said by other people, but it was weird because she couldn’t remember who. She tried to tell Lane about her feelings, but it was like her mouth was disconnected from her brain because she could only talk about her day or her love for the girl. It was as if she was following a script but not knowing in what kind of play, she was acting. 

“… So, I told mom we would visit her next week for Thanksgiving” finished Lane, placing a potato salad in front of Nicole. They have been living together in a small apartment close to the campus since their second year. Now, both were Juniors and have been dating for almost two years. Nicole did her best to focus on her girlfriend.  
“Are you sure that is the time for her to know about us?”, she said and starts eating the salad after smiling Lane in thanks.  
“Well, knowing her there’s never going to be a good time. Emily is going to be there, so she can help us if things go bad”. Lane sits with her own salad in front of Nicole and takes her hand. “Besides, there’s nothing she can say that can make me stop loving you. We are in this together”

Nicole smiles and looks at Lane with adoration. Suddenly, is not Lane in front of her, but a short brunette with mooneyes, smiling at her. She shakes her head and Lane is back, but she looks confused.

“Are you alright?”  
“Yes, sweetie. Is just that I don’t want you to have an even worst relationship with your parents”  
“My relationship with them is bad and it’s not because of you. We have different plans about my life”. Lane moves closer to Nicole and they share a sweet kiss.

_______________________________________

Waverly decides to go to Nicole’s place to find something that can help the redhead to feel more comfortable while in the hospital. Calamity Jane is with the Nedleys and Chrissy had been sending pictures of her with updates, so she can share some stories with her best baby. 

She makes her way to the bathroom and finds some vanilla body cream and an oil they have used to help each other relax. She can use those after the nurses clean Nicole. It will give them both something to do other than lay in a bed or wait for better news about her love’s condition. 

Then she goes into Nicole’s bedroom. There she decides to pick Nicole’s copy of Tale of two cities, a gift from Waverly so she could read while on her breaks in the station or at night before bed. Nicole had been happy and had said she was planning to read it a second time. Waverly believed her. She could tell the excitement in her girlfriend and it was something that always made her heart warm with love, because nobody had enjoyed her book recommendations before or her passion for history. 

Placing the book in her bag, she opens the safe that’s hidden in Nicole’s closet. She uses the code Nicole gave her (a six digits combination of her birthday and her age when they met) and takes the files there without reading their content. She doesn’t know why, but she knows she doesn’t need to. Is just something that must be done, her mind tells her.  
Then, Waverly decides to take one of Nicole’s sweaters. She choses the redhead’s favorite. She also loves that sweater because it makes Nicole’s hair redder and brighter. Her skin looks beautiful with that blue contrast and it makes her smile just to think about it. She’s going to wear it at night, just to feel closer to her girlfriend while she makes her recovery. Is at this moment that her phone rings signaling she just received a message. She takes it from her pocket and sees it’s from Shae. Apparently, Nicole is ready for surgery and they are going to prepare her. She quickly writes she’s on her way, then puts the sweater in her bag with the other things and makes her way back to the hospital.

__________________________________________

“Come on in. Welcome to our house!” a charming, dark blond, big man, Nicole recognizes as Lane’s dad, moves aside after opening the door. He hugs his daughter and shakes Nicole’s hand. Lane had said he was calmer than her mother, but she never thought he was this cheerful. “My girl tells me you are very close. If you are responsible for making her survive these years at college, I’m forever in your debt” he adds with a smile Nicole quickly returns, while Lane hits her dad playfully in the arm. 

“I have made it on my own, thank you very much”. They all laugh and move to the living room where they take their seats, with Nicole and Lane in the sofa not close enough to make the people in the house uncomfortable, but not so far as to be out of reach in case is necessary.

“She’s right, sir. Lane is the one keeping me on track sometimes. I tend to over study and she helps me to pause and relax. And then she reminds me when I need to go back to my books. So, I’m the one who’s thankful”. At this Lane smiles sweetly but avoids looking at her girlfriend.

“In that case, as she’s acting as your helper, I think we are past the “sir” thing. Call me Steven”, he then turns to look at his right, before adding “And here comes my beautiful wife, Margaret”. 

Nicole turns to see an older version of Lane. She has seen pictures of Emily and Steve, but the tense relationship with Lane’s mother has made the girl to not have pictures of her in their apartment. The woman is tall, with platinum hair, kept tightly in a pony tail. She is dressed casually in capris and a shirt, with a sweater in her shoulders, but something in the way she walks, and how the colors are carefully matching, shows Nicole the woman is very strict and always thinking on keep appearances.

“You must be Nicole, welcome. Lane told us about you. This is usually a moment for family, but we decided to make an exception for the girl she lives with, specially considering you are not joining your parents in this time of the year. I assume something bad happened to keep you separated on Thanksgiving”.  
“Margaret, please. Not everybody decides to celebrate this time with family. Sometimes people are too far”. Steven tries to make his wife introduction softer, but Lane is tense besides Nicole. Before the girl can say anything, Nicole decides to answer.  
“That’s right. My parents are currently traveling. They always go to visit my mother’s family in Seattle. I used to go with my aunt and uncle during Thanksgiving and other celebrations when I was younger, but then after they died, they let me with one of mom’s friends”.  
“And why don’t you go with them? They are part of your family too”, asks Margaret, trying to show she cares but is obvious she just wants more information to judge Nicole later.  
“My father thinks they are too liberal and may give me a wrong idea about life”   
“Well, then he makes a right choice. There’re people who can be really dangerous for young and naïve minds. Emily, my eldest, tends to make friends with hippies talking about women liberation or gay rights as if that’s natural. The order of things is to have a good woman in charge of the house. Take my case, if wasn’t around to keep everything in order, my Steve will arrive every day to a mental house after his long days at work”. Steve takes her hand and places a soft kiss. She smiles too sweetly.  
“Emily has awesome friends and those are not so terrible ideas. In fact, the reason I invited Nicole today is because…” Lane starts but Steve interrupts her.  
“Well, I think is time to move to the dinning room. Why don’t you and Nicole help setting the table, while your mother brings the food and I prepare myself to cut that amazing turkey, huh?” Steven interrupts and stands, guiding the girls to the next room and then making his way with his wife to the kitchen.

Nicole turns to Lane once in the dining room and holds her hands. 

“Are you okay?”  
“As okay as one can be in this place. I really hope Emily arrives soon. Mom makes it very hard to stay calm or to be at ease”.  
“She seems hard to deal with, but don’t worry. We are together on this and I’m sure your sister is close now”.

As she finishes, the door bell rings, and Steven goes to open the door, while Margaret sets the plates carefully. 

“Hey old man, how are you doing?” a high but cheerful voice lets them know that Emily has arrived.  
“My girl, you look even taller! What are those Americans giving you?”   
“Lots of amazing and greasy food, which makes my running morning routine more important than ever”. 

Nicole sees Steven leading Emily to where they are in the dining room, while Margaret brings the turkey to the table. Emily is as tall as her, with beautiful, long hair in a platinum tone like her mother’s. Lane moves quickly to hug her sister and Nicole notices some of the tension leave her girlfriend.

“I’m so happy to see you! Come, you need to meet Nicole” Lane almost pushes Emily to the redhead’s side and for a moment Nicole thinks that Emily checks her out but is probably a normal look given to someone you just met.   
“Hi Nicole, I’m Emily, Lane’s amazing sister”. The redhead moves her hand to greet the girl but is strongly hugged instead. “I’m more of a hugger. Lane should have warned you”  
“I guess she mentioned that, but I wasn’t sure it was going to happen so soon”.  
“It’s alright. You are going to welcome the hugs after a few minutes here” she says in a conspiratorial whisper, before making her way to greet Margaret. 

_________________________________________

Xavier Dolls is not a man of a lot of words. He was trained to follow rules and to put duty above everything else. But he has learned to show some emotions to the people he now considers his family. He gave his first real smile to Wynonna, has shared some special moments with Waverly and has a very weird but strong friendship with Doc. Since he met Jeremy at BBD, he knows the boy is trustworthy, brilliant and kind. He won’t recognize it, but he sometimes enjoys the boy’s strange sense of humor. 

And then, there’s Officer Haught. He was probably rude to her at the beginning but watching her not so subtlety flirt on Waverly and then noticing how committed she’s to her work, he has learned to respect the girl. More than that, he trusts her enough to consider her a partner, deputized or not, a close friend. Continuedly saving the world with these beautiful humans, makes them the best people he has ever met.

That’s why he makes his way back to their office in the Sheriff’s Department with a determined look on his face. He didn’t find better images of the moment of the accident, but the technician in charge mentioned one of the tapes had the crash on it but he had thought it was not relevant to give it to Nedley. Dolls thought that was suspicious, but the man looked sincere in his appreciation, so he let him go easily. For now. Dolls was sure Jeremy was going to make his magic with the added tape and if he already accessed the satellites, then they had something more to work on and solve this case. 

When he enters, Jeremy is talking with Wynonna and Doc about Marvel comics while they all eat donuts. He has a face that says he indeed broke into the satellite footage and is just making small talk while the team is complete to share the news.

“Finally, Dolls! I was just one punch away to make Jeremy see reason and choose DC comics because they have hotter actors in the movies” Wynonna says, while munching a sprinkled donut. Doc looks confused but relieved the conversation is over.  
“I have additional footage of the scene. The guy didn’t think it was relevant because apparently the image is cut. I just took it and came as soon as possible. Look”. 

He puts the small tape in the player and they all watch some images they have seen in the tapes Nedley gave them. But then, something completely new appears: is possible to see Nicole’s patrol car making its way to the farms and then something dusty is in the back of the car. Just then, the car is pushed harshly against the tree. They all gasped in horror. They knew the impact was strong, but to see it happen was horrible.

“The guy didn’t think this was important? Is he some kind of moron?” asks Wynonna indignantly.  
“He said the image was poor and it was just showing the car making the way to the tree. I think he was convinced he did his job perfectly, but as soon as he mentioned the impact, I knew we needed this” answered Dolls. “Did you find something else?” he asks Jeremy.  
“Sure, I did” says the boy, moving quickly to his computer and preparing everything. “It’s not a lot because it seems like even the satellites ignore most of what happens here at Purgatory, but I have images of the road around ten minutes before the accident, during it and a couple more after”. He plays the video and the whole group is shaking by the end.

The images show the road, while the information in the satellite indicates is 3:36. A group of people makes their way to the end of the road, with sticks and guns. A few steps behind them, walking calmly, two women observe them. Then something changes in the transmission, like an interference, and the group of people, nor the women, are visible. Around 3:43 Nicole’s car appears in the road, driving carefully. Something makes the redhead reduce the speed for a moment, something that Jeremy explains can’t be found in the records. More interference and then Nicole’s car go back to speed before what appears to be a woman charges to the car and then it crashes to the tree. Something can be seen close to the car but is not clear what and more interference appears. After two minutes, the woman runs to the fields.

“Well, I guess we know now how our mysterious attacker was able to be at the farm and crashing the car in a short time. But who are they? Is there a way to see their faces?” asks Wynonna.  
“The people in the mob are probably the ones the farmers reported to be hurting the animals. I have some friends that can help with trying to identify some of them and the women. They can also help clearing the interference” says Dolls. 

He glances at Jeremy, who nodded determined, before sending the files to what Wynonna assumes are Dolls contacts. He adds the images in the footage Dolls found and the ones Nedley gave them.

“How long is that going to take?” asks Doc, marveled at the whole process but concerned and in need of answers.  
“Let’s hope they can do it quickly enough to solve this and bring justice for Nicole” says Dolls.


	8. Awkward flirting, observation skills and new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nedley observes a weird change in Waverly's interactions, while Nicole spends time with Lane's sister and Wynonna makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I was planning to publish this chapter two weeks ago, but my grandma was sick, and I started a new job, so there was a lot of things for me to handle. Thankfully things are calmer now and I decided to post before they go crazy again.   
> I love your comments and the kudos on this story. It makes me happy to see you are still following the story or that new people are interested in it. As always, feel free to give some feedback or share your thoughts. You can also find me on Twitter under @LauraFL.

Waverly had been expecting to hear news about Nicole’s surgery for a couple of hours, when Dr. Mendez appeared in the waiting room, looking for her. She tried to identify the meaning of his calm exterior as if he was hiding a difficult truth but decided to stop her mind in the creation of horrible and pessimistic scenarios, letting him approach to share the results of the procedure.

“Miss Earp” he said, and she smiled at him nervously. “The surgery went without difficulties. We were able to completely solve the problem in the liver and Officer Haught is now being moved back to the ICU for recovery”. Waverly releases some tension with a sigh and her smile is more real now. “We are going to check on her every hour to see how she’s doing and if she manages to go through the night without difficulties, I’ll arrange her transfer to another room out of the unit, where she can be more comfortable for the rest of her recovery”.

“Thank you so much, Dr. Mendez! I really don’t know how to thank you enough! Do you like banana muffins? I can make the best vegan muffins”

“There’s really no problem, miss Earp. I’m just doing my job”. He notices Shae walking towards them, looking exhausted. “Besides, you had added surveillance in there. I was kept on my tracks” he smiles.

“Thank you for letting me in, Samuel” says Shae. Dr. Mendez smiles at her, then at Waverly, and makes his way to continue his day.

“Thank you too, Shae. It was really comforting knowing you were with Nicole the whole time” says Waverly, before giving the taller woman a hug that is received with some awkwardness.

“I did it for the both of us, so there’s nothing to thank me for”. They decide to sit down in the waiting room, while the nurses gave Waverly clearance to see her girlfriend. 

“You look exhausted. Maybe it’s time for you to go home or maybe eat something. Here, I bought some pretzels in the cafeteria”. The brunette gives the doctor a package and notices her relieved expression at the idea of food.

“The team is probably more exhausted than I am because I wasn´t involved in the procedure. But observing can be tiresome. Thank you for the pretzels, Waverly”.

“Not a problem.” 

Both women sat in silence enjoying the comfort of each other’s company and the idea of Nicole getting out of the ICU soon.  
_________________________________________

Waverly is sleeping soundly in a chair next to Nicole´s bed, when Wynonna and Doc enter. Nicole was transferred to number 3041 in the morning, after spending a good night following her surgery. She had sent their friends the room number as soon as they were settled and she was so tired that she decided to close her eyes for a few minutes, which of course turned into two hours.

“Baby girl wake up”, Wynonna shakes her sister softly and the brunette opens her eyes, confused for a moment. 

“Hi Nonna, hello Doc” she smiles at them, after quickly making sure her girlfriend’s heart monitor is in order. “Any news?”

“Not more than what I told you on the phone about the additional images. Doc went to talk to the technician about his decision of keeping the footage hidden but they guy seemed honest”

“I wasn’t able to detect a bad bone in him. He was telling the truth when he explained he felt it wasn’t necessary” Doc adds in confirmation.

“And how is Haught doing?” asked Wynonna and the three of them focused their gaze in the woman who was still sleeping, an oxygen mask on her face and some cables connecting her to the monitors. 

Not much had changed but it was refreshing to see her out of the ICU and in a more comfortably looking bedroom, without so much restrictions for visits.

“The nurses have come to check on her every hour and apparently things are slowly improving. They are planning to take her for some scans in the afternoon to see if the swelling in her brain is reducing with the medication, they are giving her. Shae has the night shift and she’s going to make sure everything is in order. I was actually thinking on spending the night with her” explained Waverly.

“Baby girl, you should take a break and go to the homestead. Doc and I can stay to check on Nicole. You need to sleep better and have a good meal, something different from the crappy food they have in this shithole”

“Wynonna is right, this time” Doc adds and earns himself a glare from the older Earp and a smile from Waverly. “You deserve your rest. I’m sure Officer Haught would feel better if she knows you are well rested and in good conditions when she wakes up”

This seems to make the trick as Doc suspected, because the doubt lingering in Waverly turned into resolution and she stood up, walking closer to Nicole and taking her hand.

“I am leaving you both with my life. So, if anything changes, please let me know” she looks seriously at Wynonna and Doc.

“Don’t worry Waves. She’s family and we take care of family, remember?”

“I know Wy, thank you” she smiles. “And you better behave and make everything in your power to come back to me” she kisses Nicole softly, hugs her sister, then Doc, and leaves to the Homestead.

When she arrives, she feels herself instantly missing her girlfriend. It’s been only a few days and she has taken time to rest leaving Nicole’s side before, but the idea of the girl waking up while she’s gone or something else complicating her recovery, makes her heart ache and since the first day after the accident, she gives herself time to cry. It has been hard not to been able to listen the voice of her love, look at her beautiful brown eyes or feeling her close, holding her and telling her everything will be alright. Whoever is behind this, deserves all the anger from the short brunette and she’s ready to make them pay as soon as she tracks them. 

It is at this moment that she hears a car approaching the homestead and she sees from the living room window that is just Jeremy and Dolls in an SUV. The girl quickly cleans her tears and makes her way to the porch to receive her friends.

“Waves!” greets Jeremy excitedly. He and Dolls make their way to the porch, hug Waverly and enter with her, taking a seat in the kitchen. 

Waverly offers them tea and they gladly accept.

“We called Wynonna and she told us you were here” explains Dolls, noticing the curious look on Waverly. “The experts who examined the footage managed to send us a closer look to some of the people in the mob as well as one of the women”

“That’s great news!” said Waverly excited, but soon it turned gloomy after noticing the way Jeremy and Dolls exchanged a worried look. “What?”

“Well, I checked the files we have of citizens of Purgatory and we were able to recognize some of the citizens involved. But the woman is a mystery” said Jeremy.

“Is not a revenant either, at least not one we have on our files according to the information you gathered. We sent the pic to Wynonna and Doc, but he said she doesn’t seem familiar” added Dolls.

“So, she’s not from around. Then, how can she be controlling the people? Is it possible that she can come from other places near or outside the Ghost River Triangle?” asked Waverly. 

“Jeremy and I will check the information we have from BBD files about possible threads or paranormal activities that had been tracked in other towns or cities. We don’t have much but Jeremy is a genius accessing other files” Dolls assures and Jeremy floats at the compliment.  
______________________________________

Thanksgiving continued without a lot of trouble for Nicole. The Sawyers were amicable enough during dinner and even Margaret was polite towards her. Steve extended the invitation to Nicole to stay with the family for the weekend and she accepted, although she was planning to stay already because Lane had suggested that before making their trip to her family home.

During Black Friday, the family and Nicole shared a delicious breakfast were Margaret showed her cooking abilities, making comments about how her girls should learn more form her recipes before marrying a good man. Emily dismissed the comment telling her mother she was doing great with junk food and cheap restaurants, while Lane and Nicole exchanged an amused smile that wasn’t ignored by Steve.

Later that day, Margaret informed the family that they should be ready before lunch, so they could visit the Wilkins. These were close friends to the family and it was important to share a moment with them to thank them for their support. Emily said that she needed to do something, and she didn’t like the Wilkins, so she was skipping the visit. Lane couldn’t the do the same. Her mother was ready to start an argument if someone else decided the Wilkins weren’t deserving of some recognition. Her oldest daughter was always a revel, but she wasn’t going to let Lane to be out of control that easy.

Lane hadn’t explained her relationship with Nicole yet and she knew it was better to keep her mother as calm as possible. As the visit was something between friends, it was made clear that Nicole shouldn’t go so Lane asked her to accompany Emily and her sister was more than happy to accept. 

“Great idea, sis! I need to buy some clothes for college and I’m sure your girl can give the best feedback. Right Nicole?” asked the blond.

“Sure” Nicole shrugged, and Lane smiled. 

“Don’t worry. It’ll be just a couple of hours and then we can be together.”

After Lane and her parents left, Emily lead Nicole to the garage, where a dark red SUV was parked. She signaled to Nicole to enter while she walked to the driver’s door. Once ready, they made their way to the nearest mall. 

“How was your night? I’m sure the bed in the guess room is not comfortable. My mother is not good at opening her house to other people” said Emily while driving.

“It was good. And your mother seems nicer than I thought. Her visit to her friends seems like a nice gesture”.

“Please! My mother hates the Wilkins. She has an ongoing war with the woman just because she is a better cook according to the other neighbors”.

“They actually told her that?” asked Nicole surprised.

“Not really. Is what she feels. People in the street gather every Christmas Eve for a Kermis. My mother bakes some food and so does Mrs. Wilkins. Apparently, her plates have better sales and that makes her evil. It doesn’t count that the money is for a charity.”

“That’s why you skipped it?”

“Yes. I don’t like to play a part on my mother schemes. We are not the closest. What about your family?”

“Pretty similar, only my problems tend to be with my father”

“Families suck sometimes” says Emily and smiles to Nicole. “Are you ready to tell my parents about your relationship with my sister?”

“I’m happy with your sister and okay with going as we are. It was her decision to tell them. I support her whether she tells them or not”

“So, you really like her. You seem like a good one. Lane doesn’t stop talking about you. It makes me jealous sometimes” she says casually but something in her tone makes Nicole uncomfortable.

“Lane really admires you. She wishes to be brave like you are. She’s happy after talking to you, and even more so now that she can finally see you”

“I am happy to see her too. She has always been more fragile, and it has been one of my duties to make sure she’s alright. Specially with my mother’s tendency to interfere in everybody’s life”. Emily speaks so crudely about her sister that Nicole doubts she’s as protective or caring as Lane has always said. She sees the girl give her a smile before continuing. 

“You seem tougher than her, Nicole. Someone who has struggle with life to make people see their worth. I see a lot of me in you” she winks, and Nicole finds herself wishing this time with Emily comes to an end sooner.  
__________________________________

Randy Nedley made sure to be a better Sheriff than Ward Earp ever was. He knew the Earps -some better than others- had a long history of keeping the order and ensuring the law was respected, but if there was something he had learned from Ward it was that there was always the possibility of a man of law to be corrupted by power and selfishness, enough to make deals with the devil (literally) even at the risk of his family or his own life.

That’s why he pretended not to know about the evil surrounding Purgatory while taking care of the citizens subtlety. He needed to protect even the officers, some of them too naïve to deal with the revenants and the strange happenings of the town. Sometimes, people new to the town or looking uncarefully tended to think he missed the crimes or the people at fault, and he ignored the truth behind them. 

But he knew how to keep a low profile and maintain the order. It was easier to appear nonchalant, that way even the bad guys wouldn’t know he was ready to stop them. He was good at observing and he recognized all the movements the citizens made. It was the reason he had felt frustrated with Nicole’s accident. He should have known something was going to happen. If someone was in Purgatory ready to hurt people, it was his duty to know.

His cavillations on his way to Shorty’s were interrupted by the arrival of Waverly Earp on her red jeep. It wasn’t strange to see her there, normally, but considering the hour and the recent happenings, he thought it was more usual to see her on her way to the hospital. This worried him because maybe there was a meeting of the Heir and her team in the bar, with Doc in charge of things there, and he walked even faster. They were not going to keep him in the dark concerning his favorite deputy.

But then Waverly made a turn to the back of the bar, to an alley. That was even stranger. What was the short, kind woman doing? Was this some plan related to gain information about the crash? He made use of his abilities to seem distracted and not at all interested in his surroundings. Casually, he talked to some of the guys that were walking to Shorty’s too. He noticed Waverly was talking to a blond woman he hadn’t seen before. Was she a new agent? She wasn’t tall, so he thought it couldn’t be the same one that introduced herself as Officer Thompson to the farmers, the day of the accident. But he felt on high alert, especially when Waverly gave the woman some folders and then waved goodbye as if to an old friend. He quickly captured some basic traits of the woman to work on a sketch to find her in the data bases and then walked towards Waverly, leaving the men behind.

“Good morning Sheriff! You look very handsome today. Not that you don’t look handsome other days too…”

“Good morning Waverly! Don’t worry about it. Mind if I ask you about your friend?”. He noticed she was confused for a moment, then she smiled.

“My friend? Are you talking about Nicole? Because I thought it was more than clear that we’re more than friends”. Nedley blushed and cleared his throat.

“It is clear. But I wasn’t talking about her. I meant your friend, in the alley. The one you gave something?”. Confusion was more pronounced now and that worried him greatly.

“Not sure what you mean. I was here to see Doc and thank him for taking care of Nicole yesterday. Now if you excuse me, Sheriff, I must go to the hospital. I’m sure Wynonna is going to be in a mood if she doesn’t sleep comfortably soon”

“Alright. Take care, then. I’ll be there in the afternoon. Let me know if something changes”. Waverly waved goodbye and made her way to her jeep. 

Now the Sheriff was sure something strange was happening with the mysterious woman in town and he was going to start his own research. That’s why he dialed a familiar number in his phone and waited patiently.

“Hello dad. Everything’s alright?” asked Chrissy.

“I am not sure, darling. Are you too busy in the bank?”

“Well, as busy as one can be in Purgatory, which means I have some minutes to spare. What do you need?”

“I need you to help me with those drawing skills of yours. Meet me in the station in an hour”.

“Sure thing. I’ll fix things here and meet you there”  
___________________________________

“So, Mr. Wright, you just decided to go to the farms in Hell road and cause some damage to the animals?” asked Dolls to a young man, in his early twenties, that was identified in the videos as part of the mob of attackers.

“It seemed like a good idea. I was just minding my business with some friends and then, the thought of going there was in my mind”. The boy answered casually, but Dolls felt he was nervous. It wasn’t usual to have a Deputy Marshall in his house, siting in his living room, and facing the confused and angry glances of his parents.

“Do you remember talking to someone before having this idea?”

The boy thought for a moment. His father was on the verge of hitting him to put some sense into the kid.

“I don’t understand you, Joseph. How can you just think about hurting the cattle or whatever animals that are in another people’s property?” he asked, clearly upset.

“Is not like I planned it or anything, dad. I just felt like it” the boy shrugged, and his mother had to contain the father before he decided he had enough with Joseph’s answers. “I was just with my friends Paula, Kyle, Peter and Clara. She was alone and we decided to invite her to come with us. We talked for a while and then, the thought was there”

“We are already talking with Miss Paula Rivers and the York brothers, but this other girl you mentioned, is she new in town?” asked Dolls. Doc and Jeremy were talking to the others, but the revision of the files had only given them information about these friends and an older man by the name of Kenneth Ulric, who was on his list of interviews after this kid.

“She has been living here for a while now. We hang with her sometimes, but that day she was just there. That’s why invited her”

“Okay, Mr. Wright. Can you give me her address or a location where I can find her?”

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment, then really confused. 

“Tell them about the girl, Stephen. The Deputy needs some answers” said Mrs. Wright. 

“I don’t know, mom. I have seen her around, but I don’t think we have been to her place”.

Dolls nodded and send a message to Jeremy and Doc to ask about this additional girl.

“We will be in contact so don’t think about leaving the town while the investigation is in course. Thank you for your help”. Dolls stood up and made his way to the door, accompanied by Mrs. Wright. He could hear the boy arguing with his father before saying goodbye to the woman and walking to his SUV.  
____________________________________

“Here, I brought you some decent coffee. I saw you while making my rounds and decided to give you something to help with the tiredness while your sister comes”.

Wynonna was startled, then glance at the brunette doctor and accepted the coffee with a murmured “thank you”. The woman seemed nice, but she needed to play the protective sister and she wasn’t going to be that easy with Haught’s ex-wife.

“Her tests show improvement. Her vitals are better and the swelling in her brain is reducing” Shae was checking the information in the board on Nicole’s bed. “I think she’s going to wake up soon”.

“Do you love her?” asked Wynonna. She observed some surprise in Shae, quickly replaced by a smile of understanding.

“Straight to the point, just like Nicole said”. Wynonna raised an eyebrow at this, but let the woman continue. “Yes, I love her. Not romantically, if that’s what you mean. But we shared something special and she’s one of the good ones. We weren’t meant to be, but she’s a great friend, someone I want to keep in my life”.

“So, you talk often?”

“Just when we have something to share or maybe we need a better perspective on things. Nicole is an amazing listener and she is always objective when giving advice or her opinion”

“That’s right. She was one of the first persons here that didn’t judge me and understood my ways. But she’s terrible at handling her liquor”

Shae laughed and Wynonna couldn’t help but join her, while watching her friend sleeping peacefully.

“I can’t judge her. We got married because of our inability to drink properly”

“How was it when you realized what you did?” asked Wynonna. She was trying to keep her antagonistic self on guard, but the woman was nice. Shae decided to sit at the other side of the bed.

“We were sleeping in the hotel and I was the first to wake up. I was so confused. Nicole is beautiful, so I knew it made sense she was there, but I couldn’t remember a lot from our conversation at the bar. I went to the bathroom and called a friend. She started laughing and asked me about my plans for our honeymoon. That’s when I noticed the ring. To say I was shocked was understatement. And then, a yell from the room broke my thoughts. Nicole was hyperventilating when I saw her in the bed”

She was laughing and Wynonna couldn’t stop her own cackles at the story. Nicole was going to be on the receiving end of some new jokes when she wakes up.

“Oh man, I wish I was there to see it! She’s the best when she’s freaking out”. Shae nodded and both calmed down a bit. “I remember a time that she slept at the homestead and my sister had decided to surprise her with breakfast in bed. I took the opportunity to go to her room and Nicole was still sleeping, so I decided to paint her some marks on her neck to tease her later”

“I can’t imagine her reaction. She’s terrible at using all the buttons of her shirts” Shae said smiling.

“I know! That’s why I used my make up skills and gave her two huge hickeys that were visible enough. I went to the kitchen quickly and told my sister about it. She thought it was a harmless joke. That is until she commented Nicole, they should be more careful next time and Haught made her way to the bathroom. She was soon walking like crazy, thinking about ways to explain herself to Nedley or use some scarf to pretend she was sick”

“That was really cruel of you” said Waverly and joined the women in their happy moment. “How’s she doing?” she hugged her sister, then waved at Shae and made her way to the bed, placing a soft kiss in her girlfriend’s forehead.

“She’s doing better, baby girl. That’s why we decided to prepare some new ways of teasing her for when she wakes up”

“I have to go. It was nice talking to you Wynonna”. Shae then moved closer to Waverly and placed a comforting hand in the girl’s shoulder. “Whatever you need or if anything changes, just let me know”. Waverly nodded and the doctor left the room.

“So, you are friends now?” asked Waverly, smirking at her sister who shrugged and finished her coffee.

“She has good taste at coffee and can give me some secrets about Haught that can be valuable information for later”

“In that case, I’ll make sure to protect my baby from the both of you”


	9. Am I to old to be only 22 and other questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole prepares to celebrate her 22sd birthday, still feeling something feels odd. Shae and Waverly share some time talking about Nicole, while Nedley, Dolls and Jeremy make progress in the case.

Nicole was not used to celebrating her birthdays. While growing up, her parents made quite clear that there were more important things: “When you’re older, you’ll get to see that without hard work, it is not possible to achieve something worthy in this life, Nicole”, her father told her once. She was five at the time and had asked for a birthday party after participating in one made for a boy in her grade. She was surprised for all the happiness and the gifts, but specially because even if it was in the school, the parents of the boy were there. They look very excited and Nicole had never seen her parents act like that during her birthdays or at any other moment.

Well, that was not true. They look excited while talking to each other about her dad’s job, what her mother did during the day or planning a holiday to make their relationship stronger just like Father David had suggested during couple’s session after Church. Her parents just didn’t seem completely excited about plans with her. The most excited she had seen them was when she had her first day of school and that’s why she was always trying her best to make them proud.

Aside from that, the only people in her family that have shared a couple of her birthdays with her were her aunt Cecilia and her uncle Matthew. They were from her mother’s side of the family (aunt Cecilia was her adopted sister) and have invited her to spend time with them during holidays. But that was over too soon. She was seven when her mother told her they had died during a concert, in an accident caused by a mob that attacked the people there, burning the place down. Nicole felt she was there with them when it happened, but her memory of that was not clear and she had some terrible nightmares occasionally. It was the only other moment her mother seemed to be worried about her. Most of the time, the woman was only preoccupied by her husband as if Nicole was not even in the house or close to her.

That’s why she was surprised (and secretly excited) when Lane told her she had invited some of their friends to their college suit for a birthday celebration. Nicole was going to turn 22 and that was “not something you do every day”, Lane had told her. The only other person who had shared this time of the year with her was her best friend Dani Sullivan, but she was in a community college in Montreal.

Lane was in charge on planning the whole thing. She had informed Nicole about the party because she wanted to make the girl excited and gave Nicole some errands to keep her away while things were ready. That’s why Nicole was now in the store, buying some things for their food of the week and other stuff they were needing on daily basis.

However, in between her excitement for the upcoming celebration, Nicole couldn’t shake the feeling that something was seriously odd. She felt like she had gone through all this already and felt older than 22. Did that make sense? Was it normal to feel like she was older than her actual age and not only in a mental but specially in a physical state? It was not some type of age crisis. She really felt something was not completely right. It was that strange feeling of déjà vu that she had been experiencing lately. It happened at random times and she was certain now that maybe they were glimpses of her dreams, things she had forgotten as soon as she woke up every day.

She was in the middle of her musings and making her way to the line to pay, when she heard someone calling her name. The voice was sweet, so tender and it sounded both hopeful and worried. It didn’t make sense.

_“Nicole, baby, can you hear me?”_

Nicole turned around but nobody close to her in the line was even looking at her. Just a boy did when she kept glancing around, but he only smiled at her and she smiled back. She shook her head. What was that? Now she was imagining things!

_“Nicole, it’s me. Baby, can you squeeze my hand?”_

That voice again. The cashier was a man and he was really focused on helping her, so there was no way he had said that. It was a female voice, the sweetest voice, but not one she could identify. Was this part of turning 22 and feeling older than ever?

Quickly she paid for the things, thanked the cashier and made her way to her old mustang, the one she bought after finishing the first term of college with some of her savings. She was ready to start her car and go back to the suite, when she caught a glimpse of a brunette girl, with hair for days, looking at her from the porch of one of the houses nearby. She was so impressed by the girl, that she almost hit another car while driving in reverse to leave the parking lot of the store. She apologized and when she tried to see if the brunette was still there, it was like the earth had made her disappear.

* * *

Waverly was still surprised by the connection between Wynonna and Shae, but she could understand the situation as the doctor was very polite, charming and beautiful. She could also see why Nicole have felt attracted to her. It was not love in the same way as it was for them, but Nicole had told her she admired Shae deeply: she was committed to her work, had a clever sense of humor and was always supportive of her.

Wynonna was now at the BBD office with the rest of their friends. Jeremy had come for a while to give her some blankets and a vegan burrito to enjoy before sleeping close to her love. It was those little details and the way everybody was so focused on solving the mystery of Nicole’s accident, that made her feel completely loved by her new family.

Her thoughts, however, were interrupted when she noticed Nicole’s right hand fingers moving. It was not a big movement, but it was enough to show a difference from the stillness of the last couple of days.

     “Nicole, baby, can you hear me?”, she asked moving closer to the redhead. She took the hand in hers and gave her a gentle squeeze. Her girlfriend didn’t squeeze back, and Waverly felt her hope crashed.

She was going to sit again, when she noticed brown, unfocused eyes, opening.

     “Nicole, it’s me. Baby, can you squeeze my hand?”, she tried to squeeze again without a proper response from Nicole, but her eyes were still open, so Waverly pressed the button close to the bed and soon a nurse appeared in the bedroom.

     “Is everything alright?” the nurse asked, while moving to check Nicole’s vitals. Then she noticed the open eyes and tried to call for the girl’s attention without results.

     “What’s happening? Why is she not answering?” asked Waverly, more worried than before.

     “It’s alright ma’am. I’m going to inform the doctor and he will answer every question you have right now”. The woman said gently and left to find the attendant.

Waverly was holding Nicole’s hand and trying to talk to her to capture her attention, when Dr. Mendez entered. He smiled at her and asked her to move a little so he could examine Nicole. After some tests to see her reaction to light and other reflexes, he made some notes in Nicole’s file and faced Waverly.

     “Is she alright?” asked the brunette, trying and failing to sound calm.

     “Yes, she’s doing fine”, he said. Noticing the doubt in hazel eyes, he added, “It’s completely normal that a patient in her conditions starts to present signs of consciousness as opening the eyes, have tears in them or smile. Is part of the state they are in and it’s a sign of the recovery process their brain is making”.

     “So, this means she’s waking up and it’s going to be alright soon, right?” asked Waverly.

     “It could mean that, but it could take time”. Waverly nodded, glanced at Nicole and sat again, containing her excitement easily. “The part of her brain in charge of being awake and conscious is still recovering due to the swelling her brain experienced. We are helping with some medicine but is up to her how the process evolves”.

He was going to continue his explanation when Shae entered the room. She saw Nicole with her eyes open, gave Waverly a smile and made her way to the bed to make her own quiet observations.

     “As I was saying, we are going to keep checking on her. Dr. Pressman can help us with that, I’m sure, but only to help you feel more comfortable with understanding your girlfriend’s situation”. He gave Shae a look and she nodded. “It’s important that you or the person with her let us know if she starts making eye contact or moving her eyes around. That would be all for now. I leave you to accompany officer Haught” he smiled and left.

     “How long ago did this happen?” asked Shae, once alone with Waverly, walking to another chair in the room, closer to the brunette.

     “Not long. Ten or fifteen minutes, I’m not sure”. Shae nodded. “Thanks for coming. I’m sure you still have a life outside and responsibilities here to attend to”.

     “It’s more than alright. I haven’t been long in town so my life out of work is minimal. And I’m sure Nicole can confirm how obsessive I can be with work, so this change of pace to come here and visit is actually good for my health”. Waverly smiled.

     “Nicole doesn’t talk about your relationship a lot” she said. Shae looked at her and she suddenly felt the need to clarify. “Not that I asked a lot either or that she doesn’t consider you important. I mean, you were her emergency contact not so long ago. And…”

     “Waverly, calm down, I understand” Shae laughed, and the girl smiled with her after a while. “Nicole is very private about her life”

     “That she is. She shares things about her parents, her friends or her time in the academy, but is like these tiny bits of information that feel like treasures when they come and she has been so patient and focused on me, that I don’t feel is my right to prod, you know?”

     “I do. I felt the same way while we were together. She’s an expert in making people feel special, like nothing else but them matter in the entire world. So, it is easy to get lost in that feeling and just let her talk about her at her own pace” added the doctor.

Waverly nods in agreement. She takes a minute to contemplate her girlfriend, who has closed her eyes again. She notices Shae playing with a bracelet in her left hand and she assumes is a nervous habit. Shae looks at her and sees Waverly’s eyes focused on her bracelet, so she smiles.

     “My father gave it to me. I tend to play with it while I’m thinking or feeling anxious” she explains and Waverly smiles.

     “Nicole tends to do the same with whatever she has in her hands at the time. One day she made Wynonna nervous after playing with a pencil for hours while they were waiting for information on a case”

     “Is Wynonna involved with the Sheriff Department too?” asked Shae. Before Waverly could answer, she added, “I really don’t know a lot about what you guys do, actually” she frowns. “Nicole has told me about you, all of you, but not what you do. And last time I saw her, during the spider bite incident, things were really strange”.

     “My sister works with a US Marshall, helping to solve cases that the Sheriff considers top priority” Waverly explained, and Shae nodded, accepting the answer for now. “I help sometimes too, as a researcher. I love to do it and it comes in handy”.

     “So, you are part of a team working for law enforcement” said Shae, but her tone was more affirmative than a supposition. Waverly only nodded. “Her parents must be happy that she not only became a Sheriff deputy but is dating a woman involved with research that helps to stop criminals” her tone now was charged with humor and then she laughed. Waverly’s eyebrow was raised in confusion, but after a moment the doctor’s words made sense.

     “Oh, right! Because they don’t think women can manage a lot by themselves” she giggled, and Shae joined her. “Did you meet them?”

     “Once. After the wedding. Nicole wrote her mother telling her about it and a couple of days later, they arrived at our apartment. Well, it was Nicole’s, but I decided to move in with her, after we decided to give it a try to our marriage”.

     “How were they?” asked a curious Waverly.

     “Her mother was really quiet around me. Nicole said she was always like that. She considered that her conversation had to be approved and promoted by her husband when they were in public”

     “Really?” Shae was amused at Waverly's notorious anger.

     “Yes. That’s why Nicole is completely against patriarchal bullshit” they laughed. “Nicole’s father was the one who decided they needed to meet me. He tried to interrogate me and even made some comments about planning a proper wedding, even with ‘our circumstances’, but Nicole quickly stopped him and made clear that the only ones that could decide about our love life were the both of us”

     “Sounds like her”, Waverly smiled and kissed her girlfriend’s knuckles.

     “She told me she would have like for me to meet her best friend, but the girl died a few years before in a car accident”

     “Dani, right?” Waverly asked, and Shae nodded. “Nicole told me about her. They seemed very close”

     “That’s why I made plans to introduce her to my family. They loved her immediately”

     “I’m happy she met you and she had someone on her side during that time” said Waverly and she noticed Shae smiling sadly.

     “I agree. She needed the support and we were happy for a while”.

They remain silent for a moment, watching the redhead breathing calmly and listening to the monitors in the room.

* * *

     “There’s not information about a girl named Clara in the records of people who moved to Purgatory in the last fifteen years. There’s actually not a lot of people who have moved, besides Wynonna -who was already part of the town records as she grew up here-, Nicole and a couple of families whose records don’t show information about a Clara” said Dolls, closing the files he was checking.

     “I couldn’t find footage of the girl in the point were the group met before deciding to go to the farms. There’s just Joseph, Paula, Kyle and Peter” said Jeremy after carefully checking the images in his computer.

     “That means there’s a probability that this girl is actually one of the women walking after the mob, probably directing them to the farm” added Dolls and Jeremy just shrugged.

     “She could be. For all we know she could be the same person who acted as Officer Thompson to answer the farmers report while Nicole was trapped in her car” the boy said. Dolls nodded.

Before the men could go deeper into their considerations about this “Clara” person, someone knocked on their office door.

     “Come in” said Dolls, and soon the Sheriff made his way inside.

     “I think I found something that may be connected to the case” he said, giving Dolls a drawing. Jeremy got closer and he gasped.

     “Is her!” he screamed in excitement, and Dolls and Nedley just waited for him to clarify, both with a look of confusion, impatience and interest that made Jeremy add “the woman that appears in the video”

     “Are you sure?” Dolls asks, while Jeremy moved to his computer again to search for the image of the woman that was identified in the video.

     “See? The image is not very clear, but her features are similar”

     “Is it possible to determine the height of the woman in the video?” asked Nedley and Dolls glanced at him, surprised by the question.

     “Who made this picture?” asked the agent.

     “Chrissy. I gave her the description of a woman that I saw talking to Waverly today. I thought they looked friendly, but I couldn’t recognize her as someone from town. I asked Waverly about it, but she seemed oblivious, like she was just walking around. She had no idea she was talking to that woman” explained Nedley.

     “So, the farmers think this new officer has always been here; a group of young people and an old man decide to attack some animals with a young woman who doesn’t appear in the town records and now Waverly talks with someone who she doesn’t remember” said Dolls, listing the facts. “I think we need to make a plan and search for a woman with this description”. When he finishes, Nedley and Jeremy joined him to start planning their next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments, kudos and continuous support. This seemed like the perfect time to add a chapter, as inspiration for our #FightForWynonna. I hope you keep reading and enjoying the story. Some of you have good theories and it's great to read them. Have a lovely week!


	10. Without a trace, or so it seems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole is preparing for her engagement and her new job, while the team tries to make sense of Waverly’s encounter with the woman Chrissy draw and connect her to Nicole’s accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While we keep our #FightForWynonna, I wanted to update with a new chapter of the story. Thank you again to the people who is still reading, leaving kudos and commenting. Also, I wanted to wish you the best for the rest of this month as part of the #WomenHistoryMonth. For those who are women, identify as women or simply support us, I hope you continue the fight for equality and a better world with rights for everyone in it. Have a lovely week!

Waverly had fallen sleep once more in her chair next to Nicole, while Wynonna had made herself comfortable in the other chair with her feet propped up on the redhead’s bed. The heir had joined her sister for the night after Shae had left, and both were talking animatedly about the possibility of Nicole waking up soon, when Jeremy texted that they had some news they were waiting to share with them in the morning. Waverly tried to convince him to tell them immediately, but the boy said they were trying to gather more information to give them a better explanation the next day. Wynonna asked him, in not so nice terms, to keep his mouth shut the next time he wasn’t planning on actually telling them something useful and just wanted to let them hanging on.

Now, Wynonna felt her peaceful slumber break with the sudden urge to eat some donuts and a nice cup of coffee. She felt hungry as hell and her stomach was painfully reminding her of her need for food. She finally opened her eyes and noticed that Waverly was resting with Nicole’s hand in hers. The redhead had her eyes closed and her fingers twitched every few moments, which made Waverly squeeze her hand tenderly in her sleep.

Noticing her sister was not waking up soon and that her stomach was now angry at her for taking too long to go for breakfast, Wynonna decided to leave. But after spending almost fifteen minutes looking for her keys - not finding them in her jacket, her pants pockets or even on the floor-, she decided to search for the jeep keys in her sister’s bag. The younger Earp was more organized and surely enough, Wynonna found them. She quickly wrote a message for her sister letting her know where she was going and made her way to the find the closest bakery.

The drive through the city was quick and soon she found a nice smelling coffee shop that had her favorite donuts on display. She ordered a box of twelve and two coffees, payed for them and happily made her way back to the jeep. While placing the box carefully in the passenger seat, she noticed a page of what looked like an official document with a familiar name on it. The paper, she read, was a description of a statement given by one Nicole Rayleigh Haught to Montreal’s police. Making a mental note to joke about Nicole’s name later, she decided to read the paper carefully, surprised with the fact that her sister hadn’t mentioned any of this as part of her new “No secrets” policy.

The information in the page was part of a 10 pages file. The current one was number 2 and it contained some details about a car accident a few years back. Wynonna noticed the page had the logo of the “Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal” and it started with the continuation of the description of said accident. Apparently one woman had died, and another person was injured. Nicole’s testimony was given as part of the investigation as she was the first person to arrive at the scene. The redhead was explaining she had flight to Montreal to visit her best friend two days ago and was staying with the girl in her apartment. Then, in the morning she received a call and quickly made her way to the place where the car was found.

That was all. At least, what Wynonna could follow without the rest of the file in her hands. But Waverly hadn´t mention having this. Was this part of a connection she made between Nicole’s accident and the one described in the page? Deciding to solve her questions, she secured the donuts and the coffee, before driving back to the hospital.

* * *

Nicole is now enjoying a lovely meal in a hotel in Las Vegas with her now fiancé. Emily had proposed after a lucky strike at the Casino of the hotel and she happily accepted. They were making plans for their future, talking about the last few weeks of exams Nicole had before moving with Emily to California to plan their wedding. And although she was excited at the prospect of her new life, something (a soft voice in her head and an ache in her heart) told her things were not completely right. Nicole decided to ignore this feeling to the best of her abilities and was determined to enjoy the night with the lovely blond in front of her. Emily looked radiant in her golden dress, her bright hair with soft curls and her eyes sparkling in a way that caused Nicole’s heart to warm.

     “Staring is not polite, miss Haught” said Emily, smirking at her fiancé, noticing her adorable eyes looking at her.

     “I’m sorry, ma’am. It’s just that I have the most beautiful woman on earth siting right in front of me and I can’t help myself”

Emily smiled at the comment and they shared a sweet, short kiss. After parting, Emily excused herself to go to the bathroom and Nicole decided to check the desserts, asking the waitress for recommendations. Thanking the woman after ordering a chocolate volcano, she glanced around the room.

_“Wynonna will be back soon with donuts, so you better wake up soon, baby”_

That voice again! She knows she won’t find the girl talking in the restaurant. It has been happening a lot lately. She’s enjoying her time with Emily or at college and then the voice is there, telling her about this Wynonna person, asking her to move her fingers or telling her how much she loves her. A part of her feels the voice is more real than anything she’s living now, but how could that be? The restaurant is real: the food was delicious, she has an engagement ring on her finger and Emily is walking back to their table after her stop at the bathroom. Whatever that voice means, is not possible that is more real than her own life. Maybe she needs to sleep better and stop stressing about the upcoming tests that would give her a major in law in the next few weeks.

     “Are you okay, love?” asks Emily, taking her sit and giving Nicole’s hand a gentle squeeze.

     “Yes, baby. Just waiting for our desert”

     “Oohh! I love desert! Thank you, love”

The waitress placed the chocolate volcano in the middle so they could both enjoy it and Emily is delighted by Nicole’s choice.

     “This is delicious! You know me so well, Nicky!”

The redhead smiled, although she felt the name was not the perfect one for her. It gave her the creeps.

     “Only the best for my soon to be wife” she said, and Emily smiled.

     “We better finish soon so we can go to our room” the blond winked at her and Nicole blushed.

     “In that case, have the rest of the dessert and I’ll go to the bathroom, then to take care of the check”. Emily smiled once more, and Nicole kissed her before standing up.

In the bathroom was another woman. A tall, fit, brunette, with cinnamon skin. The woman was not looking well and had clearly put some water on her face to help herself recover.

     “Miss are you okay?” asked Nicole, finishing with cleaning her hands and approaching the brunette, who was startled by the redhead’s presence.

     “Oh, yes, thank you! I didn’t notice someone else was here”

     “It happens. But are you sure you feel alright? If there’s anything I can do to help, just tell me”

     “You are very nice, but I’m alright, don´t worry” the woman said, and Nicole nodded. “I am here, celebrating my best friend’s engagement and I think I drink too much wine. I’m terrible at holding my liquor down, but it’s my job as a friend to drink, you know?”

     “Definitely!” said Nicole, and both laughed. “Nicole Haught” she offered her hand and the brunette shake it.

     “Shae Pressman, nice to meet you”. There was something really strong in Nicole telling her that she should talk more with the woman, but soon her reverie was broke by Emily at the door.

     “Nicky, baby, are you here?” the blond asked and soon found Nicole and Shae talking. “I paid already. Thought something happened to you”.

     “Sorry, love. I was making sure Miss Pressman felt alright” answered the redhead smiling.

     “All good, thank you. I leave you to talk. Have a lovely night, miss Haught”. Shae smiled at both women before exiting the bathroom.

     “You had time to make new friends, I see” said Emily. Something in her demeanor looked strangely dark but Nicole ignore it and quickly reassured her fiancé.

     “You know me. I couldn’t ignore a woman in distress. I think she was close to pass out, so I made sure she felt alright. That’s all”

     “Always the gentlewoman. That’s why I love you. You are so caring and so different to everybody else. Unique. And we are the perfect match”-

Before Nicole could answer, Emily put her arms around her and sealed her words with a kiss.

* * *

Waverly had woken up to find she was alone in Nicole’s room and Wynonna had written a message in her cellphone letting her know she had taken her jeep to find some donuts. Her sister probably forgot she had given her keys to Waverly to play with when the anxiety she felt at seeing Nicole open and close her eyes too many times last night, got to be a lot for her.

     “Wynonna will be back soon with donuts, so you better wake up soon, baby”

She stood up and went to the bathroom that was in Nicole’s room. One of the perks of being Nedley’s favorite and Shae’s ex, she thought. Waverly cleaned herself quickly and used the change of clothes Wynonna had brought her the night before.

After feeling refresh for the new day, she went back to her chair but noticed that Nicole’s eyes were open and looking directly at her. Waverly felt excited but decided to make sure it was an actual visual contact and not only the way her girlfriend’s eyes had moved. The officer followed her movements until she took her hand and kissed her forehead. The brown eyes she loved the most were still staring at her and she decided it was time to press the button to call the nurse or Dr. Mendez to check on Nicole.

     “It’s okay, sweetie, I’m here. The doctor will come and give us some instructions about your health, alright?” she squeezed Nicole’s hand and the girl softly squeezed back. “That’s perfect, baby. You are doing great”.

     “Miss Earp, any news?” asked Dr. Mendez, entering the room. He noticed the change immediately and moved closer to examine his patient.

He used light to check her eyes and Nicole closed her eyes, some tears leaking from them. When she opened them once more, Dr. Mendez continue the examination, moving to her fingers to prove her strength and then to her feet for the same. He asked Nicole things quietly and at that moment Doc and Dolls appeared at the door. They hugged Waverly and pay attention to the doctor until the man turn to them with a smile.

     “I see more friends decided to visit today. That’s perfect. Maybe with more people to look at she can help her brain to catch up with the process of being conscious again” he smiled and then look directly at Waverly. “She will be ready for more tests later and maybe completely with us in a few hours. I’ll check on her in half an hour” Waverly happily nodded, and he left.

     “I see we arrived on time to see officer Haught up and ready” said Doc, hugging an excited Waverly.

     “I’m so glad you are here. Wynonna left for breakfast, so I was afraid I was going to dance around the room if no one was here. And I can’t do that. What if I disconnect something?”

     “Then we did alright by coming when we did” the cowboy reassured her.

Waverly sat once more, taking Nicole’s hand and noticing the girl was still looking at her.

     “Jeremy said you had news. Where is he, by the way?”

     “He’s with Nedley, checking something. I went for Doc and wrote Wynonna. But I’m sure she’s coming now, so I better start explaining” said Dolls. “We are close to identifying one of the women that appeared in the video of the mob walking to the farm. Chrissy Nedley helped us with a sketch of her that Jeremy is now comparing to different files for possible outlaws or paranormal individuals”

     “Okay, that’s great! But how did Chrissy managed to find a description to make the pic?”

     “The sheriff gave her some indications after noticing said woman close to Shorty’s” Waverly nodded. “The thing is, she was talking to you, but Nedley said you didn’t remember”

      “What? That’s not possible. I have a great memory! I mean, I remember talking to the Sheriff outside of Shorty’s and I told him I was there to thank Doc for his night shift with Nicole the other day, right?” she turned to Doc and noticed his sad smile.

      “That wasn’t possible, Waverly. At the time the Sheriff saw you I was still with Wynonna, preparing myself to go back to Purgatory. Sally, the new waitress, was in charge of the bar. She never mentioned you had visit”.

Before Waverly had time to answer, Wynonna arrived. She gave Waverly her coffee and offered the donuts.

     “What’s that?” Waverly asks, noticing the paper her sister is still holding casually.

     “Oh, this? I don’t know. You tell me!”. At the little Earp surprised face, she continued. “I thought you were true to your ‘no secrets’ resolution, baby girl. I found this in your Jeep. If you found information about Nicole’s involvement with a previous car accident, why didn’t you tell us?”

     “What? Let me see that” Dolls exclaimed and took the paper. Waverly and Doc moved closer to him to read, while Wynonna make herself comfortable in her chair, eating the rest of the donuts and noticing Nicole’s eyes on her.

     “Don’t think I’m going to save you one, so you better hurry Haught”

     “This is part of a bigger file. Where is the rest?” Dolls asked and Waverly shrugged.

      “I haven’t seen that file before. I mean, Nicole mentioned one of her childhood friends died in car crash, but she never gave me a file or anything”.

     “For someone with a great memory, you are having a lot of blank spaces there, Waverly” said Doc and the brunette glared at him.

Dolls took a picture of the file and send it to Jeremy.

     “We better find this woman soon so we can understand what’s her trick and who’s she working with”.

* * *

     “Are you accessing the BBD files now, boy?” asked Nedley, entering the office and approaching Jeremy, who was once again working on his computer.

      “Yes, sheriff” he nodded excited. “I have been searching for information of paranormal activity outside of Purgatory or the Ghost River Triangle for a while, trying to see if there is a possible way to explain the presence of the women now that we know they are not revenants”.

      “And is it possible to have new information, considering BBD is no longer supporting your team?”, at Jeremy’s surprised look, the sheriff adds, “I am not as ignorant as you think, boy. There are no secrets for me here. Besides, Dolls kind of told me”.

     “It makes sense” Jeremy nods. “What I’m accessing is some links that used to be connected to investigations led by BBD. Also, Dolls friends have some archives that can help me track other possible connections. It takes a few more minutes than the direct access, but is still possible when knowing some tricks”

     “You are very good at your job, kid”. Jeremy smiles, honored by the compliment.

     “And you are awesome at yours, Sheriff. Without your help with the picture, we wouldn’t have a proper look at the woman. The footage wasn’t that clear, but I would recognize that platinum hair everywhere, after spending so much time looking at the videos”

     “Well, that was actually Chrissy. She’s the artist in the family”.

Nedley stands up and walks to the board made by Waverly with the information about the case. Jeremy notices and smiles once more.

     “Waverly is great a those. The images were also printed by her, except for those of the pictures Wynonna and Dolls took from the scene”.

     “I assume this doodle here is the supposed ‘Officer Thompson’”, asks Nedley and Jeremy nods. “She’s also a blond. But the one talking with Waverly wasn’t as tall. The farmers said the woman had about the same height as Nicole”.

     “Well, her picture is now being compared to different legal data bases, even Interpol” said Jeremy excited and Nedley walked towards him again. “Thanks to Dolls friends and my tricks, we will be able to access even federal posts for criminals. Whether she’s part of a gang, a crazily strong woman, the accomplice of the other one, or the head of a super human organization, we will track her soon”.

They waited for other five minutes and then Jeremy received the picture of the file, writing the information in his personal to do list, linked to the case. Then, a match for the picture was found and Jeremy clicked the link connected to it.

It directed him and Nedley to the website of a university program of the United States. The information of the page didn’t explain a lot about sponsors, resources, objectives or intentions of the program, just that they had participants from California, Washington and Nevada.

     “What the hell is this?” asked Nedley, pointing at one logo at the bottom of the site, too small to be noticed lightly.

     “BBD is part of the program!” exclaimed Jeremy after zooming the logo. Then he clicked but nothing happened. He tried to search for the connection with the picture in the site, until he found a list of the participants that were still registered. “This is weird. I heard rumors a few years back about experiments with students in the US, but the vague information makes it possible for any person to be part of this without really knowing what they are accepting”

     “Well, its what makes Hollywood exist, boy. Without gullible people there wouldn’t movies about kidnappings, secret experiments or conspiracy theories. And I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the adventures of Fox Mulder and Danna Scully” said the sheriff.

     “The X-Files! I loved that show! The reboot not so much…”

     “Focus boy”

     “Right”. Jeremy kept scanning the names one by one, until one of them presented the picture of a girl that was very similar to the one in Chrissy’s drawing. “Well, it seems that we have a match”

     “Then we better tell your friends that we need to start looking for miss Emily Sawyer”.

**Author's Note:**

> The characters belong to the amazing universe that Beau Smith and Emily Andras have created. I only played with them a little to create this story.


End file.
